Prominent ASTRO member appointed to APC panel

The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology would like to congratulate Louis Potters, M.D., a prominent radiation oncologist and a devoted ASTRO member, on his recent appointment to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification Groups, also known as the APC Panel. The nomination for Dr. Potters was submitted by ASTRO for a position as one of the 15 representatives.

The main purpose of the APC Panel is to review the APC groups and their associated weights and to make recommendations to CMS. Since the APC groups and weights are major elements of the hospital outpatient prospective payment system (HOPPS), the panel’s recommendations will be used by CMS to prepare their annual report on HOPPS.

In his new role on the panel, Dr. Potters will work with the other members to assign new CPT – current procedural terminology – codes to APCs, address whether procedures are similar both clinically and in terms of resource use, and debate pass-through payments for medical devices and drugs. In order to make the most appropriate recommendations, he will consult with entities, such as medical device and drug organizations, who have expert knowledge of APC components.

 “We believe that Dr. Potters encompasses all the skills necessary to be an excellent member of the APC Panel,” said Michael Steinberg, M.D., Chair of the ASTRO Healthcare Economics Council. “During his service to ASTRO as Co-chair of the Joint Economics Committee, Chair of the Regulatory Subcommittee and a member of the Code Development and Valuation Subcommittee, Lou has exhibited an overwhelming knowledge and technical expertise in hospital payment systems, hospital medical care delivery systems, outpatient payment requirements, APCs, and the use and payment of drugs and medical devices in the outpatient setting. I am confident he will bring that same expertise and enthusiasm to do an excellent job on the APC panel.”

Dr. Potters is currently the Associate Director in the Department of Radiation Oncology as well as the Medical Director for the New York Prostate Institute at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, New York. He has been an active member of ASTRO since 1993.