USPA Urges MedPAC to Make Medicare Payment Reform a Priority

The letter encourages members of MedPAC, Congress’ Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), to consider office-based specialty providers’ recommendations for reform.

WASHINGTON, DC — Last week, the United Specialists for Patient Access (USPA) sent a letter to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, urging them to consider reforms that will alleviate the ongoing challenges faced by office-based specialty care providers.

The letter, signed by many physician and non-physician organizations, lays out evidence that Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) rebalancing has resulted in large reimbursements cuts for specialists under the MPFS and, in particular, that office-based specialists have borne the brunt of these reimbursement reductions.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE LETTER.

USPA represents a broad spectrum of office-based specialists such as anesthesiologists, cardiologists, dialysis vascular access providers, limb salvage specialists, phlebologists, physical therapists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, urologists, and vascular surgeons, as well as specialty societies and the device and equipment manufacturers that support them.

Dr. Mark Garcia, USPA board member and CMO for American Vascular Associates, said, “If we want office-based specialty providers to stay in business, we need to make a change. We are hopeful that by outlining our concerns in this letter, MedPAC will review the viability of office-based specialty care, recognize the true benefits of the outpatient delivery of excellent healthcare to those in need, and consider our recommendations. We stand ready to work with MedPAC and Congress toward a bipartisan solution.”