The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has hit all physicians hard, and Congress should provide temporary relief from the negative effects of Medicare budget neutrality to support practice viability.
Congress is actively considering multiple options to avert future Medicare payment cuts. It is critical that the final solution is fair and ensures family physicians are appropriately paid. The AAFP opposes legislation that excludes evaluation and management (E/M) office visits from financial relief because it leaves primary care to bear the burden of the proposed conversion factor reduction and distorts the revaluation of services under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). Another emerging proposal is to delay or phase-in the changes to E/M payments finalized in the 2020 MPFS, which threatens the long-overdue payment increases for family medicine. The AAFP and other primary and cognitive care groups have called on Congress to provide equitable relief for all services under the fee schedule, while ensuring critical Medicare payment changes are implemented on January 1.
With primary care payment increases potentially in jeopardy and legislation that unfairly favors procedures over office visits and threatens to undermine the fee schedule, it is critical that family physicians weigh-in with Congress.
Contact your members of Congress today to urge them to support fair Medicare relief for family physicians who are on the frontlines caring for patients during this pandemic.
Congress is actively considering multiple options to avert future Medicare payment cuts. It is critical that the final solution is fair and ensures family physicians are appropriately paid. The AAFP opposes legislation that excludes evaluation and management (E/M) office visits from financial relief because it leaves primary care to bear the burden of the proposed conversion factor reduction and distorts the revaluation of services under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). Another emerging proposal is to delay or phase-in the changes to E/M payments finalized in the 2020 MPFS, which threatens the long-overdue payment increases for family medicine. The AAFP and other primary and cognitive care groups have called on Congress to provide equitable relief for all services under the fee schedule, while ensuring critical Medicare payment changes are implemented on January 1.
With primary care payment increases potentially in jeopardy and legislation that unfairly favors procedures over office visits and threatens to undermine the fee schedule, it is critical that family physicians weigh-in with Congress.
Contact your members of Congress today to urge them to support fair Medicare relief for family physicians who are on the frontlines caring for patients during this pandemic.