Healthcare and doctors’ groups are unhappy with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ proposed cuts to physician payments in its annual fee schedule, and are calling on Congress to intervene, hoping to stave off a 3.34% cut to the fee schedule’s conversion factor – used to calculate Medicare payments to doctors.
Trade association AMGA said the proposed cuts would hinder the ability of multispecialty medical groups and integrated systems of care to provide high-quality care to their patients, Healthcare Finance reports.
If left unaddressed, the cuts would exacerbate the financial pressures facing AMGA members, as Medicare physician payments already are not keeping up with the increasing cost of delivering healthcare, AMGA said.
AMGA members cannot absorb this proposed payment cut,” said AMGA President and CEO Dr. Jerry Penso. “Their expenses are continuing to increase, and Congress needs to act to ensure Medicare’s reimbursement reflects the cost of delivering high-quality care to patients. We’re concerned AMGA members may be forced to make tough decisions on staffing and the services they can offer to their communities if proposed cuts are left unaddressed.” Read more.
