ASGE Advocacy Priorities

Maintain patient access to care through appropriate valuation of gastrointestinal endoscopic services and through payment policies that recognize and appropriately value the role of physicians in medical decision making. Prioritize the need for Medicare physician payment reform in a manner that upholds the principles of physician payment adequacy, fairness, stability and predictability while supporting value-based, high-quality care.

Remove barriers to the delivery of endoscopic services in ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), including better alignment of payment and regulatory policies that support the cost-effective delivery of endoscopic services, including device-intensive procedures, in ambulatory surgery centers.

Advocate for programs designed to prevent barriers and increase awareness of the value of colorectal cancer screening. Protect access to appropriate preventive colorectal cancer screening and surveillance colonoscopy without patient cost-sharing.

Ease regulatory burdens and administrative requirements that strain physician practice staff and resources without meaningful or measurable improvements in patient care or health outcomes or lacking demonstrated efficiencies or cost-savings to the health care system.

Support the equitable delivery of GI care and outcomes regardless of patient gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. Improve GI patient access to timely care through coverage and payment policies, including expanded access to telehealth services. Reject policies that interfere with physician-led medical decision making, including step therapy, and by supporting policies that streamline and improve transparency of prior authorization processes.

Support the delivery of high-quality care through policies that foster meaningful physician participation with minimal burden in value-based care models, including meaningful measures and availability of physician-led alternative payment models.

Increase funding for digestive disease, health equity, cost-effectiveness and population health research including through the National Institutes of Health and in such a manner that promotes diversity in clinical trials.

Advance policies to support and strengthen the GI workforce, including through reduction of administrative burden that leads to physician burnout. Work through appropriate channels to ensure gastroenterology is not overly burdened with the requirements of the American Board of Internal Medicine’s continuing certification. Support access to GI care through advancement of policies that support a stable and diverse pipeline of gastroenterologists.