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AMA to Congress: stop looming Medicare cuts

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, October 6, 2005

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In testimony before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, the American Medical Association (AMA) urged Congress to stop impending cuts to Medicare physician payments, saying these cuts will harm patients' ability to receive care.

These cuts are expected to go into effect on January 1, 2006, and over the next five years will reduce Medicare payments by 26 percent, according to the AMA.

"We are deeply concerned that cuts. will harm patients' access to physician care. In order to make further quality improvements, Congress must reform the current Medicare physician payment system," said AMA Trustee John H. Armstrong, MD.

During the testimony, the AMA praised Congresswoman Nancy Johnson for championing the need to reform the payment formula. Johnson introduced legislation (H.R. 3617) that would pay physicians based on practice expenses and provide incentives for improving quality of care for Medicare patients, Armstrong said.

"The AMA appreciates the opportunity to provide further suggestions to strengthen the legislation, and believes that pilot testing prior to full implementation is essential," said Armstrong. "Decisions on public reporting should be deferred until program elements, such as risk-adjusting, are resolved. This will reduce the potential for inaccurate information that could negatively impact access to care for vulnerable populations. Public reporting only benefits patients when the information is accurate, relevant, and user-friendly."

Source: the American Medical Association (http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/15583.html).

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