ACR endorses bipartisan bill to link Medicare physician fee schedule payments to inflation
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The American College of Rheumatology has endorsed a newly introduced bill in Congress that would automatically adjust the Medicare physician fee schedule based on inflation.
In a press release, the ACR stated the bill, known as the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 2474), is intended to update Medicare physician payments to “reflect the impact of the broader economy on physician practices.”
“For too long, specialty providers, like rheumatologists, have faced considerable uncertainty regarding their ability to continue providing needed care to patients,” ACR President Douglas White, MD, PhD, said in the release. “The Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act represents a long-overdue adjustment to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule that will help stabilize physician practices and ensure that beneficiaries have timely access to rheumatological care.”
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Raul Ruiz, MD, D-Calif., and co-sponsored by Reps. Larry Bucshon, MD, R-Ind., Ami Bera, MD, D-Calif., and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD, R-Iowa. It was introduced in the House of Representatives and referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee, in addition to the Ways and Means Committee, on April 3.
According to the ACR, the Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) is the only major fee schedule without automatic updates tied to inflation. As a result, Medicare provider reimbursement has “failed to keep pace with broader economic realities,” the release stated. A recent analysis from the American Medical Association found that, when adjusted for inflation, Medicare physician payments declined 26% from 2001 to 2023, as consumer and practice costs rose, the ACR noted.
If approved, the bill would link MPFS payments to inflation based on the Medicare Economic Index.
“This legislation would allow Medicare to more accurately reflect the cost of practicing medicine, which has increased dramatically in recent years,” Christina Downey, MD, chair of the ACR’s government affairs committee, said in the release. “ACR looks forward to working to advance this important policy reform that will help build a sustainable payment system and protect access to care for patients with serious, chronic diseases.”
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ACR press release
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