ACC, SCAI say new funding bill did not do enough to limit Medicare reimbursement cuts to cardiology services
President Joe Biden signed a funding bill worth $460 billion on Saturday, March 9, easing fears about a potential government shutdown and ensuring key federal agencies remain open through September.
The bill increased the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) conversion factor by 1.68% for the rest of 2024, providing some relief for cardiologists after the 2024 MPFS included a 3.37% cut for cardiology reimbursements. However, this still means the conversion factor is down nearly 1.7% compared to 2023, and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) both shared their disappointment that more was not done.
The groups emphasized that a long-term solution is still needed to ensure Medicare reimbursements do not keep getting reduced year after year.
“We must find a way to end this cycle and find long-term solutions,” 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 the group’s statement. “The collective voice of the medical community broke through political divides to provide partial relief this year, and we'll continue to harness this energy as we redouble our efforts with Congress to seek legislative solutions to achieve comprehensive reform for the future.”
“Failing to fully remedy the 3.37% cut to Medicare physician reimbursement payments threatens to undermine the physician workforce and ultimately restrict patient access to care,” added SCAI President George D. Dangas, MD, PhD, a professor with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and director of cardiovascular intervention with the Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, in a separate statement. “Physicians have suffered over two decades of Medicare payment cuts while being the only providers in Medicare who do not receive an inflation-based update to payments. Congress should look at the alarming trends of a looming physician shortage, consolidation in the healthcare system, and a dramatic expansion of the Medicare-eligible population and act decisively to support a robust Medicare program that works for patients and providers.”
Both groups have been actively pushing for long-term relief from Medicare reimbursement cuts for years now. According to the ACC, Medicare reimbursements have dropped by 26% in the last 20 years, but practice expenses have increased by 47%. The group, along with many other U.S. medical societies, has been fighting to increase support for the Preserving Seniors’ Access to Physicians Act.
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.