Cardiologists make a familiar plea, urging Congress to eliminate impending Medicare cuts
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has issued a new statement urging Congress to pass legislation that would cancel out the 3.37% cut for cardiology reimbursements included in the 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). The cut is currently set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
The holiday tradition of begging Congress to not cut Medicare payments
For the ACC, asking Congress to eliminate impending Medicare cuts is a regular occurrence at the end of each calendar year. The group, like many other U.S. medical societies, would clearly prefer a long-term solution instead of repeating this step each and every year.
“We have once again arrived at American clinicians’ annual holiday tradition: urging Congress to not allow cuts to Medicare services that exacerbate financial uncertainty for practices, further threaten patient access to care, and disproportionately impact America’s rural and senior populations,” ACC President B. Hadley Wilson, MD, a practicing interventional cardiologist and executive vice chair at Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute/Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, said in a prepared statement. “For decades we have spent December looking for a quick fix to a problem that requires significant reforms. We must seek and establish sustainable payment practices that allow clinicians to continue providing access to high-quality care. While addressing this upcoming cut is critical, it is a short-term adjustment that will not create a long-term solution. It is necessary to protect patients now while we work together on lasting reform.”
The ACC has repeatedly advocated for policy changes that could put an end to these annual attempts to cut the Medicare payments received by cardiologists, electrophysiologists, cardiac surgeons and other cardiology professionals. In November, for instance, the ACC joined the American Society of Echocardiography, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Heart Rhythm Society, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, Society for Vascular Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons to support a proposal that would dramatically reform the Medicare budget-neutrality policy. That policy requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to balance its budget despite the annual spending increases as more patients seek care, and the main way this is done is by cutting what physicians are paid. The policy is the primary reason the MPFS often includes payment cuts, the groups explained. Increasing the budget-neutrality threshold would give CMS much more flexibility before considering payment cuts.
This latest push, meanwhile, is focused on increasing support for the Preserving Seniors’ Access to Physicians Act of 2023.
Congress has adjourned for the year, meaning any fixes will need to come in 2024
Both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives have already adjourned for 2023, concluding what has been frequently cited as one of the most unproductive Congressional sessions in modern U.S. history. Any new legislation passed in 2024 would need to be retroactive to have the biggest possible impact.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.