AAOS urges House committee to work together to address surprise medical billing
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons released a statement in response to a House Ways and Means Committee proposal to address surprise medical bills.
“The AAOS recognizes and thanks the committee for its progress to protect patients from surprise billing and create a framework for independent dispute resolution with this legislation,” Kristy L. Weber, MD, FAAOS, president of the AAOS, said in a press release. “We are also pleased that it does not include a threshold for mediation, which would impede access to this proven process for settling disputes. However, we ask that the committee continue working with us and the entire physician community in good faith to improve the bill.”
— not the primary factor. If not, insurers may use it as a de facto benchmark to dictate prices and manipulate the market which could decrease access to care and choice of provider. The bill also underestimates the time and effort required for physicians to accurately value procedures with reimbursement data they currently may not have access to, according to Weber.
“We urge the committee to heed these concerns and look for ways to ensure that the bill more directly addresses the real problem — inadequate networks,” Weber said. “Our doctors and our patients depend on the outcome, and we will continue to advocate for a fair, accessible process that empowers them both.”
Reference: