Long-awaited and highly anticipated, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule for 2023 released this past week supports the expansion of access to behavioral health and cancer screening, while promoting health equity.

The timing of this Final Rule brings to mind the loss of actor Chadwick Boseman of Black Panther fame. Boseman died in 2020, following his battle with colon cancer – an issue addressed in the Final Rule with a focus on cancer screening, as colon and rectal cancers continue to be a leading cause of death in the U.S., with even higher numbers of new cases and death rates for Black Americans, Native Americans, and Alaskan Natives. 

Reporting our lead story during the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays will be senior healthcare consultant Sharon Easterling, who is writing a series of articles for ICD10monitor on the experience of Black Americans dealing with the country’s healthcare system.

Other segments during the live broadcast will include the following:

• RegWatch: Stanley Nachimson, former CMS career professional-turned-well-known healthcare IT authority, will report on the latest regulatory news coming out of Washington, D.C.
• Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will report on the latest coding news.
• Journaling John: John Zelem, MD, FACS, founder and CEO of Streamline Solutions Consulting, will continue with his journal entries.
• News Desk: Timothy Powell, CPA, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.
• TalkBack: Erica Remer,MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.