AAOS voices concern over CMS payment policy changes
The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons has issued formal comments to CMS on the Medicare proposed payment policy changes for 2023, according to a press release.
In the statement, the AAOS voiced concern for growing health care costs and cuts to physician reimbursement. According to the release, the AAOS is advocating for overall reform to the current physician reimbursement system, pushing for value-based payment models with tailored incentives for specialty physicians. The AAOS also urged CMS to expand access to care for patients and ease physician burden as practices continue to navigate the challenges of inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With inflation soaring to 40-year highs this year, ongoing and scheduled statutory payment cuts and many physician practices still dealing with pandemic-related financial and staffing issues, the current proposal from CMS undermines the long-term sustainability of physician practices while threatening patient access to physicians participating in Medicare,” Felix H. “Buddy” Savoie III, MD, FAAOS, president of the AAOS, said in the release.
“The statutory prohibition on paying physicians differently for the same work applies regardless of code valuation method and the incremental increases should apply to all physicians,” Savoie said.
The AAOS also addressed the “dangerous precedent” of increasing prior authorization in the hospital outpatient setting. Requiring prior authorization, which is removed from clinical decision-making, “erodes the doctor-patient relationship, and the ability to make decisions that are in the best interest of the patient,” Savoie added.
For the full statement on CMS proposed payment policy changes for 2023, visit: www.aaos.org/globalassets/advocacy/issues/aaos-cy-2023-mpfs-rule-comments.pdf.
For the full statement on the outpatient and ASC payment system, visit: www.aaos.org/globalassets/advocacy/issues/aaos-cy-2023-opps-rule-comments_final.pdf.