Advocacy in Action

Congress Presses NIH Director about FY2027 Budget While Praising NIH Institute and Center Leaders; Join Endocrine Society in Advocating for NIH Research Funding

On May 21, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, joined by five Institute and Center (IC) Directors, including Dr. Griffin Rodgers of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and Dr. Anthony Letai of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), testified at the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (L-HHS) hearing. Members of the L-HHS subcommittee praised the work of NIH and its leadership on advancing treatments that improve and save lives of Americans while also pressing Dr. Bhattacharya about ongoing concerns at NIH and the administration’s proposed budget for NIH for FY 2027.

We want to share some highlights of the hearing that are relevant to Endocrine Society members.

Diabetes Research

Senate Appropriations Chair, Susan Collins (R-ME), and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) championed diabetes research in this hearing through their questions to Dr. Rodgers (NIDDK/NIH) about the Special Diabetes Program (SDP). Dr. Rodgers talked about the promising and successful advances made possible in Type 1 Diabetes research through SDP funding. Importantly, Senator Shaheen noted that SDP research not only makes a difference for developing diabetes treatments, but that it also saves healthcare costs. The Senators also called attention to their concern that even though NIH diabetes research has been so successful and on the cusp of many important new discoveries the Administration has proposed a $167 million cut to the NIDDK.

Research Workforce

Senator Katie Britt (R-LA) expressed concerns about support for early stage investigators and asked the Director about his strategy for supporting the next generation of researchers. Dr. Bhattacharya pointed towards his unified funding strategy, which prioritizes funding for early stage investigators, and assured his support for training grants. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) expressed their concerns about the shrinking research workforce and the impact that this will have on the future of biomedical research.

Disruptions in Research Funding

Senators also raised concerns about recent policy decisions that have disrupted research funding. Ranking Member Baldwin (D-WI) explained how multiyear funding disrupts research opportunities by setting aside multiple years of funding that could instead be used to fund concurrent research efforts to advance several projects. She also discussed the importance of Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) and how a reduction in the publication of NOFOs can severely affect targeted research strategies for programs like SDP.

Questions from the hearing and concerns Senators raised reflected the information we have shared about disruptions to research. While we know that Congress values the important work that researchers do to make fundamental discoveries that lead to the development of therapies that improve the lives of Americans, funding for biomedical research remains in danger for FY 2027 until Congress passes the appropriations bill that funds NIH. The Endocrine Society is urging Congress to provide at least $51.303 billion for NIH for FY 2027 and to include protections to ensure that funds are spent on medical research as Congress intends. Congress needs to hear from scientists like you about the importance of funding biomedical research. Please join Endocrine Society advocacy by participating in our campaign to increase NIH funding.

Congress Considers Physician Payment Reform Options; Society Urges Lawmakers to Pass Legislation to Provide Inflationary Update to Medicare Physician Payment

This week, two congressional committees in Congress met to discuss legislative options to reform Medicare physician payment. The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee conducted a hearing to examine the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and opportunities for payment reform. During the hearing, committee members discussed legislation to provide stability to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). The Endocrine Society submitted a statement to the committee record for this hearing. Our statement urges Congress to pass legislation that provides an annual inflationary update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) that is tied to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI). Meanwhile, the House Ways and Means Committee considered legislation this week that would improve the reimbursement stability of Medicare physician payment. The Provider Reimbursement Stability Act would update certain reimbursement provisions in the MPFS that have not been updated since 1992, which will ensure better long-term stability of the program. The Endocrine Society has endorsed this legislation. We will continue to urge Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that provides stability to Medicare physician reimbursement.

Opportunity to Serve as Specialty Society Advisor on Coding & Payment:

Have you ever been interested in how the services you provide are captured and billed by insurance providers? Are you keen on details and nuances associated with the coding and payment for those services? Would you like to learn more about the CPT code development process while also advocating for our specialty?

The Endocrine Society is seeking a member to serve as a Specialty Society Advisor to the American Medical Association (AMA) CPT® Editorial Panel.

The CPT Editorial Panel is responsible for maintaining and updating the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set. The CPT code set is used to report medical procedures and services on healthcare insurance claims, when those services are performed by physicians and other qualified healthcare professionals. Specialty Society Advisors provide valuable clinical expertise and specialty-specific insight during the CPT code development and review process.

With the assistance of Endocrine Society staff, the advisor selected for this role would:

• Serve as a liaison between the Endocrine Society and the American Medical Association’s CPT staff and associated processes.
• Review and provide feedback on CPT code change applications relevant to endocrinology.
• Coordinate with Endocrine Society leadership and society committees on CPT coding matters.
• Help identify coding issues and opportunities impacting physicians and patients within endocrinology.
• Provide feedback or answer questions on the appropriate use of CPT codes pertinent to endocrinology.

The ideal candidate may have:

• Familiarity with CPT coding and reimbursement issues.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills.
• An interest in healthcare coding, valuation, and policy development, or the willingness to learn.
• Prior experience with CPT codes and processes, coding committees, or reimbursement policy is preferred but not required. The Endocrine Society will train and educate the right candidate.

AMA Membership & Other Benefits:

• If you are selected as our advisor, the Endocrine Society will provide you with a complimentary annual membership to the American Medical Association (AMA).
• The Society will reimburse your airfare, hotel, and other travel expenses when you attend a CPT meeting. Previous meetings have been held in Palm Springs, CA, Chicago, IL, and Boston, MA.

If you are interested in this opportunity or have questions, please e-mail Rob Goldsmith at [email protected].