Inadequate payments could force some docs to stop accepting Medicare patients, commission warns.

Congressional activity around reforming how Medicare pays doctors is picking up steam this year — though the cost and tight legislative calendar make a major overhaul unlikely, sources say. Action could both avert the annual rite of reversing scheduled Medicare cuts to physician pay and kick start long-running efforts to more closely tie compensation to quality care.

Regular inflation updates and getting rid of MIPS are among ideas discussed in a Senate Finance Committee white paper on problems with physician payment under the Medicare fee-for-service program.

The Senate Finance Committee released a white paper proposing Medicare adjust doctor reimbursement to account for inflation, a key goal for physician lobbies.

In the Medicare Trustees Report, the trustees warned that the program faces “challenges,” notably that physician payments are not based on underlying economic conditions—such as inflation—and are not expected to keep pace with the cost of practicing medicine.

From Baker County to Yamhill, Oregon is facing a serious shortage of doctors. With dozens of federally-designated Health Professional Shortage Areas across the state, we need more doctors to help increase Oregonians’ access to treatment and improve their health.

For the last two years, the U.S. Congress has failed to stop in their entirety repeated across-the-board pay cuts that further threaten Medicare access to high-quality physician care, especially for patients in rural, underserved or economically marginalized areas.

The influential Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has recommended that physician payment be tied to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), but the commission is calling for the payment update to be just 50% of the index.

Half of this year’s 3.37% pay cut is allowed to stand after partial relief in budget deal. The AMA will relentlessly lead the charge for systemic reform.