Senators release new details on how Congress could reform radiologist Medicare payment system
Members of the U.S. Senate on Friday released a new policy roadmap detailing how Congress could potentially reform the Medicare payment system for radiologists and other physicians.
The new white paper follows a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing exploring physician shortages, inadequate reimbursement and other challenges. Senators are suggesting reforms that would include creating more sustainable payment updates to ensure radiologists can continue owning and operating practices, incentivizing physicians to provide better care at lower costs, and rethinking how Medicare measures quality.
Finance’s proposal comes following a 15-year period in which radiology has seen a nearly 25% drop in reimbursement when adjusting for inflation.
“The way Medicare pays doctors for their work has not kept up with the times, and if it’s not working for doctors, it’s not working for the patients they help,” committee Chairman and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement issued May 17. “Today marks an important step towards bringing Medicare into the 21st century, especially by acknowledging that the treatment and management of chronic conditions should be at the center of the program today. It’s critical that traditional Medicare keep up, and this effort to update and strengthen the program for the next generation of Americans will make that a reality.”
In addition, the white paper also suggests ways to bolster primary care in the U.S., provide more support for chronic care benefits in fee-for-service Medicare and ensure that patients have continued access to telehealth.
“This bipartisan white paper includes critical steps toward potential policy reforms to streamline clinician payment systems and treat the chronic diseases ailing far too many seniors across the country,” committee Ranking Member and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idasho, said in the same statement. “I look forward to continuing the collaborative, constructive, bipartisan precedent we have set in developing healthcare solutions for Americans from all walks of life.”
The Medical Group Management Association said Friday that it was encouraged to read the new Senate white paper and labeled this as an “important step” toward addressing the flawed physician fee schedule. MGMA represents more than 15,000 physician groups across radiology and other specialties.
“Paramount is the need for an annual physician payment update commensurate with inflation and modernization of the antiquated Medicare budget neutrality policies that can only be described as ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’,” Anders Gilberg, senior VP of government affairs at MGMA, said in a statement. “MGMA looks forward to working with the committee to advance commonsense legislation that will begin to stabilize a Medicare reimbursement system that has long threatened the livelihood of our nation’s medical practices."
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.