College Coauthors Op-Ed Urging Action to Prevent Medicare Payment Cuts

With only a few weeks left before Medicare reimbursement cuts are slated to take effect, threatening patient access to care, the leaders of the ACS, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American College of Physicians (ACP) released a joint op-ed in Modern Healthcare describing the perilous situation and urging action to change it (Modern Healthcare subscription required). 

In the article, by ACS Executive Director & CEO Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS; AAFP President Tochi Iroku-Malize, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAFP; and ACS President Ryan D. Mire, MD, FACP, the leaders discussed the fractured state of healthcare in the US, the economic realities of inflation and stagnant reimbursement that are leading to staffing shortages and practice closures, and how vulnerable patients will suffer from a lack of medical care as a result of the scheduled Medicare payment cuts. From surgery to primary care, if the cuts go into effect, few patient populations in the US—and few physicians—will be able to avoid the deleterious effects.

As the leaders noted in the op-ed, the 370,000-plus members represented by the three organizations care for millions of patients in the US annually, and there is a dire need to address root problems of payment and patient access through Congressional solutions.

They concluded, “The call to action is clear: Congress must take action to protect patients’ access to care by halting the payment cuts that will take effect Jan 1. And then lawmakers need to provide for annual positive payment updates that account for rising costs and move us toward a more sustainable Medicare payment system. Only then can we protect our practices and ensure that patients have the care they need and deserve.”

Read the article.