How to cite: Albala, David M., Holton, Mara R., Kaufman, Ronald P., “2023 Legislative and Regulatory Issues Update.” January 24, 2023. Accessed Nov 2025. 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, is a Chief of Urology at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, New York. Dr. Albala is considered a national and international authority in laparoscopic and robotic urological surgery. His clinical interests include minimally invasive treatments for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), the use of fibrin sealants in surgery, and robotic urologic surgery.
Dr. Albala earned his medical degree at Michigan State University in East Lansing. He completed a residency in Surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He then completed a fellowship in Endourology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Under the direction of Ralph V. Clayman, Dr. Albala was part of the team that performed the first laparoscopic nephrectomy in humans.
Dr. Albala is a past White House Fellow (1995-1996), who acted as a special assistant to Federico Peña, Secretary of Transportation, on classified and unclassified public health related issues. He has been a visiting professor at numerous institutions across the United States as well as overseas in countries such as India, China, Iceland, Germany, France, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and Singapore. He has done operative demonstrations in over 32 countries and 23 states. Dr. Albala has over 215 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has authored 3 textbooks in endourology and 4 books in general urology. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Robotic Surgery and serves on the editorial board for Current Opinions in Urology, Reviews in Urology, and Urology Index and Reviews. In addition, he serves as a reviewer for 8 other surgical journals. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA). Dr. Albala is also currently the Visiting Professor of Urology at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, College of Medicine. Dr. Albala has been identified (by a Stanford University-led study) as one of the top 2% of scientists in the world.
Ronald P. Kaufman, Jr., MD is Associate Professor of Surgery in the department of Urology, and Assistant Professor of Physiology and Cell Biology 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.
