Hard Work, Big Changes: American Geriatrics Society Efforts to Improve Payment for Geriatrics Care

Abstract

This article examines the work and leadership of the American Geriatrics Society in making payment for services provided under new, innovative payment codes a reality for geriatrics healthcare professionals. We examine more than a decade of work spanning from a proposal to pay for comprehensive geriatric assessments in 2003 to the multiyear effort that led to Medicare coverage for transitional care management (2013), chronic care management (2015, 2017), and assessment and care planning for cognitive impairment (2017). We review the forces that created an environment for change and the concurrent work of the American Medical Association and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that made this possible. We highlight opportunities seized that led to seats on crucial panels and legislative victories that helped us make our case for improved payment for geriatrics care. Finally, we address lessons learned and address opportunities where we are currently active. J Am Geriatr Soc 66:2059-2064, 2018.

Moving the Needle Toward Fair Compensation in Pediatric Nephrology

“…The collective bargaining power of pediatric subspecialist-specific professional societies should be harnessed, to ensure that efforts to promote meaningful change within the public policy arena are amplified. We can model our strategy after the efforts of other undervalued medical professions who have achieved specialty-specific increases in physician compensation through legislative advocacy, such as the American Geriatric Society ( 32 ) who successfully advocated for innovative payment codes that benefitted geriatric subspecialties. We must align with the American Society of Nephrology who recently committed a task force ( 33 ) designed to improve nephrologist compensation and resolved to launch concrete, transparent efforts to reduce bias and improve the data systems that feed into physician benchmarking compensation and productivity surveys.…”

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“…As a specialty, geriatric medicine is one of the lowest paid; AGS has been working to increase compensation for geriatrics clinicians. 3,4 We recognize that this work does not specifically address the gender wage gap in geriatric medicine, which is 15% according to a recent Doximity survey. 5 In a 2018 position statement, the American College of Physicians exposed the pay inequity that exists for women physicians, including those in academic medicine, and identified additional barriers to their ability to advance in their careers.…”

“…Figure highlights the wage gap for female health professionals. As a specialty, geriatric medicine is one of the lowest paid; AGS has been working to increase compensation for geriatrics clinicians . We recognize that this work does not specifically address the gender wage gap in geriatric medicine, which is 15% according to a recent Doximity survey .…”