How to cite: Albala, David M., Holton, Mara R., Kaufman, Ronald P., “2023 Legislative and Regulatory Issues Update.” January 24, 2023. Accessed Dec 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/2023-legislative-and-regulatory-issues-update/
2023 Legislative and Regulatory Issues Update – Summary
In this panel discussion, David M. Albala, MD, Ronald P. Kaufman Jr., MD, and Mara R. Holton, MD, address the pressing issue of Medicare payment cuts in urology. The speakers emphasize the importance of unified advocacy, both at the legislative level and within the urology community.
The panelists discuss the failed MIPS/MACRA program and the need for site-neutral payment reform, underscoring the urgent need for change. Additionally, they discuss the significance of PBM reform and the role it plays in curbing inflationary drug costs. They conclude the presentation with a call to action for urologists, encouraging them to engage in advocacy efforts, work together as a united front, and demand meaningful payment reform to protect the profession.
About The 33rd Annual International Prostate Cancer Update:
The International Prostate Cancer Update (IPCU), founded in 1990, is a multi-day CME conference focused on prostate cancer treatment updates with expert, international faculty. It is led by expert physicians and is designed for urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. The 33rd iteration of the meeting occurred January 22-25, 2023 in Vail, Colorado. To view more educational presentations from IPCU 33, visit our collection page.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David M. Albala, MD, graduated with a geology degree from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. He completed his medical school training at Michigan State University and went on to complete his surgical residency at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Following this, Dr. Albala was an endourology fellow at Washington University Medical Center under the direction of Ralph V. Clayman. He practiced at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago and rose from the ranks of Instructor toProfessor in Urology and Radiology in eight years. Ten years later, he became a tenured Professor at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. At Duke, he was Co-Director of the Endourology Fellowship and Director for the Center of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Urological Surgery. He has over 247 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has authored three textbooks in endourology and seven in general urology. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Robotic Surgery. Dr. Albala serves on the editorial board for Medical Reviews in Urology, Current Opinions in Urology, and Urology Index and Reviews. He serves as a reviewer for eight surgical journals. He is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Urology at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. In addition, he was ranked among the top 2% of urologists in the world by a Stanford University study done in May 2021.
At the present time, Dr. Albala is Chief of Urology at Crouse Hospital and a member of Associated Medical Professionals in Syracuse, New York. He is considered a national and international authority in laparoscopic and robotic urological surgery and has been an active teacher in this area for over 20 years. His research and clinical interests have focused on robotic urological surgery. His other clinical interests include minimally invasive treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), biomarkers in prostate cancer, and the use of fibrin sealants in surgery. He has been a Visiting Professor at numerous institutions across the United States as well internationally in multiple countries including India, China, Iceland, Germany, France, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and Singapore. In addition, he has done operative demonstrations in over 32 countries and 23 states. He has trained 19 fellows in endourology and advanced robotic surgery.
In addition, Dr. Albala is a past White House Fellow who acted as a special assistant to Federico Pena, Secretary of Transportation, on classified and unclassified public health related issues.
Ronald P. Kaufman, MD, is Professor of Urology in the department of Urology at Albany Medical College in Albany, New York. Additionally, he was the interim chair of urology when the division was in a period of transition. He attended Trinity College, followed by medical school at George Washington University. After completing his urology residency at Duke University under the direction of David Paulson, he joined the faculty at Albany Medical College and was promoted from assistant professor to professor of urology. As a result of his extensive oncology training and interest, Dr. Kaufman developed a practice concentrating in general urologic oncology and currently focuses on renal oncology, both open and robotic.
Dr. Kaufman was a member of the inaugural American Urological Association (AUA) Leadership Program in 2004 and became a member of the AUA Coding and Reimbursement Committee in 2005. He then chaired the AUA Coding and Reimbursement Committee for eight years. In addition, he was a consultant to the American Medical Association (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel from 2008 to 2017 and the AUA advisor to the AMA CPT Editorial Panel from 2017 to 2021. Dr. Kaufman was an active member of the Public Policy Council for many years and the AUA State Advocacy Committee from 2017 to 2021. He has been a member of the executive committee of the New York State Urological Society since 2003 and served as its president from 2014 to 2016. Additionally, Dr. Kaufman has been active in the Northeastern Section of the AUA, serving as secretary from 2010 to 2014, president from 2015 to 2016, and a board member for many years.
