Provider Organizations Urge Congress to Address Medicare Payment Issues

On January 23, a coalition of over 100 influential healthcare provider organizations sent to a letter to members of Congress urging them to reform the Medicare payment system for physicians and explore long-term payment solutions.In December 2022, Congress included in its year-end omnibus spending bill a provision to mitigate the previously scheduled 8.5 percent Medicare payment cut for 2023 down to 2 percent. The letter expresses appreciation for this action but expresses frustration about “year-over-year cuts, combined with a paucity of available alternative payment/value-based care models” and decrying “the Medicare payment system is broken.”
The letter asks Congress to hold hearings and begin considering permanent reforms to the Medicare Part B payment system and the Quality Payment Program (QPP): “[w]e again ask Congress to work with us on long-term, substantive payment reforms and urge Congressional hearings as soon as possible to begin exploring potential payment solutions to ensure America’s seniors continue to receive access to the high-quality care they deserve.”
Influential physician organizations signing onto the letter included the American Medical Association (AMA), American Medical Group Association (AMGA), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American College of Surgeons (ACS), and several dozen specialty societies. (See here and here for more details.)