Physicians urged to contact congress members about Medicare Physician Payment Policies

American Medical Association Director of Federation Relations Terri Otten is issuing a call for physicians to reach out to members of Congress as soon as possible.  In a message to health care providers, Otten says “physicians must take the opportunity to once again remind (Congress) of the important work that needs to be completed during the lame duck session following elections.”

Here is her full message:

Before members of Congress leave Washington, DC, for the mid-term election campaign season, physicians must take the opportunity to once again remind them of important work that needs to be completed during the lame duck session following the elections.  In addition to shifting our grassroots programs into high gear, it is time for the House of Medicine to once again inform House and Senate leaders of the financial instability that Medicare physician payment policies will bring to practices throughout the nation in the coming year.

 

Specifically, we are asking Congress to do the following prior to scheduled Medicare payment cuts taking effect in 2023:

  • Extend the Congressionally enacted 3 percent temporary increase in the Medicare physician fee schedule that was intended to offset budget neutrality adjustments for new office visit policies.
  • Provide relief for an additional 1.42 percent budget neutrality cut that is planned for 2023 to offset new facility visit policies.
  • End the statutory annual freeze and provide an inflation-based update for the coming year.
  • Prevent a scheduled 5 percent payment cut for Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs) and the corresponding impossible-to-meet revenue threshold increase at the end of 2022.
  • Waive the 4 percent PAYGO sequester triggered by passage of the American Rescue Plan Act.

Please let us know by noon on Wednesday, September 21, if your organization will sign on to the attached letter to House and Senate leadership asking them to address these scheduled cuts before the end of the year.

In addition, we encourage all specialty organizations and state medical societies to activate their grassroots between now and the end of the year.  Supporting material developed by the AMA can be found by clicking here.