Blog
CALL TO ACTION: Tell Congress to Pass Legislation Providing Financial Stability in the Physician Fee Schedule
ASNC joined the American Medical Association and the House of Medicine in a letter commending congressional leaders for introducing H.R. 2474, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act. If passed into law, this legislation would add a permanent, inflationary update based on the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
Introduced by Rep. Raul Ruiz, MD (D-California), Rep. Larry Bucshon, MD (R- Indiana), Rep. Ami Bera, MD (D-California), and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD (R-Iowa), this bill builds on a recommendation by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, which recognized that clinician pay is forecasted to fall short of the costs of running a practice. "For many physicians, the economic reality is that costs have risen exponentially even as Medicare reimbursement rates have declined,” explains ASNC President Mouaz H. Al-Mallah, MD, MSc, FASNC. "Congress must ameliorate this issue. By requiring an inflationary update tied to the MEI for the physician fee schedule, H.R. 2474 supports our efforts to ensure patients receive the best care."
Send a Message to Congress Through ASNC's Action Center
Please urge your members of Congress to support the H.R. 2474, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act. They need to hear –
- An annual inflation-based update tied to the MEI would help practices absorb payment distributions triggered by budget-neutrality rules. This would enable practices to continue operating despite rising practice costs.
- This bipartisan legislation is an important step toward providing financial stability for physician practices and thus supporting Medicare patients' access to care.
CONTACT CONGRESS