Last December, our efforts and those of the wider provider community, resulted in Congress acting to provide a 2.25% increase to the CY2023 PFS, and a 1.5% increase to the CY 2024 PFS, through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022. While two years of relief is appreciated, this could signal that the new Congress may be less pressed to provide additional relief for CY 2024. ADVION is part of the Fee Schedule Coalition, which consists of over 100 stakeholder organizations representing over one million providers across the country. In January, this coalition submitted a sign-on letter to Congress with 103 organizations signing, urging Congress to adopt comprehensive, transformative Medicare payment reform over the next several years, and to begin holding hearings immediately to explore potential payment solutions.
The bill, entitled the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 2474), would add a permanent payment update to the Medicare PFS that is tied to inflation, as measured by the Medicare Economic Index (MEI). This important legislation would help providers – especially those in rural and/or medically underserved areas – continue to furnish services for patients at a time that the cost of providing care has increased significantly due to inflation.
The time for advocacy on this issue is now, as Congress is in the beginnings of their discussions around long-term PFS reform and what it might look like going forward.
Click the link below to access a pre-written letter (which you can edit) to send to your Congress person.
