ACR, members of Congress agree: ‘Great urgency’ needed to reform MACRA
The American College of Radiology and members of Congress are expressing “great urgency” around the need to reform how physicians are being rewarded for delivering value-based care.
Physician Reps. Larry Bucshon, MD, R-Ind., and Ami Bera, MD, D-Calif., are currently circulating a letter to colleagues asking for additional support. They’re concerned about the 2015 Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, or MACRA, enacted to begin paying physicians for quality, value and results, rather than the volume of services delivered.
The ACR has joined the two lawmakers, urging radiologists to ask their local representatives to sign the letter, addressed to House leaders Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Hakeem Jefferies, D-N.Y.
“Unfortunately, logistical challenges have plagued MACRA almost since its inception,” Bucshon and Bera wrote in their draft letter, dated June 21. “Incentive payments to encourage Medicare providers to participate in Advanced [Alternative Payment Models] are temporary, and underutilized. Furthermore, the thresholds to qualify for APM incentives and future payment adjustments are at risk of steep increases under current law. Together, these factors could result in fewer providers participating in value-based care models in the years to come.”
ACR issued its “call to action” on Thursday, June 29, noting that MACRA has been “plagued with challenges since its inception in 2015.” The letter comes after physicians and other stakeholders raised concerns about MACRA in response to a request for information from Bera and Bucshon.
“As the nation’s healthcare system faces financial uncertainty, it is now more important than ever to reform the Medicare payment system,” the Radiology Advocacy Network said in its call to action, asking lawmakers to sign the letter. “You are well aware of the challenges facing physician practices and the yearly cuts to physician reimbursement that exacerbate these factors. We need you to take action now to ensure Congress addresses these issues.”
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.