AAPM&R is thrilled to announce that today, for the first time, PM&R earned a voting seat on the American Medical Association (AMA) Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC). We owe this huge victory to the outstanding efforts of Matthew Grierson, MD, FAAPMR, who was elected by majority vote, after being nominated by the Academy last year. Dr. Grierson will be the Academy’s representative on the RUC and will begin his term in March.
For years, PM&R was one of a very few ABMS-recognized specialties to not have a voting seat on the RUC. Until 2018, we did not meet a set of 5 eligibility criteria. Nonetheless, your Academy has remained active in the AMA RUC since its inception, representing the interests of physiatrists. The Academy supports our volunteer RUC Advisors, including Dr. Grierson, who has represented the Academy for the past 4 years, along with several other members from the Academy’s Reimbursement and Policy Review Committee who participate in RUC and related CPT activities. Earning the RUC seat is a direct result of Dr. Grierson’s passion for the specialty, engagement in the AMA process, and keen understanding of the importance of the RUC in today’s reimbursement environment. Congratulations and thank you to Dr. Grierson for his diligence and commitment on behalf of the specialty!
The RUC position is a 2-year rotating seat. It will provide other RUC members an opportunity to get to know PM&R and our representative. AAPM&R will support Dr. Grierson’s engagement on the RUC, and we will work collaboratively with him and the entire PM&R RUC delegation to earn a permanent seat on the RUC in the coming years.
Why the RUC Seat Matters
The RUC is one of the key processes by which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) determines how to value services. Its recommendations to CMS can be accepted, rejected or modified. These decisions have a ripple effect throughout the private insurance market and can affect compensation. Holding a RUC Seat will promote the visibility of PM&R in the House of Medicine and also gives our specialty a voice in deliberations about the valuation of codes presented to the RUC.
Send a Note of Thanks
Click here to extend a note of appreciation and congratulations to Dr. Grierson by logging into PhyzForum (members only). Click on the three-dot icon to "Send Message."
Dr. Grierson has been an active member of AAPM&R since 2008. He practices at Seattle Spine and Sports Medicine in Seattle, WA.