Medical Societies Support Congressional Action on Physician Payment Policy

Recently, four members of Congress—Raul Ruiz, Larry Bouchon, Ami Bera, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks—introduced in H.R. Bill 2474, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act. On April 18, 2023, ISASS and dozens of other stakeholders published a letter to these representatives to express support of legislation to improve physician payment policy.

The proposed legislation would require that Medicare physician payment updates be based on the Medical Economic Index (MEI). Pegging annual payment updates to the MEI would result in annual adjustments to physician payments from Medicare that would keep up with and track inflation and cost changes annually. Current policy does not allow Medicare physician payment to keep up with cost changes and has resulted in Medicare rates that do not reflect current practice costs for physicians.

ISASS strongly supports updates that modernize and properly reimburse physicians for their work and services. If H.R. 2474 is adopted and signed into law, it would advance these efforts and improve physician practices.

To read the letter, see here.