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Congress is scheduled to vote on repeal of SGR as early as Tuesday
SGIM is mobilizing a nationwide grassroots effort calling on Congress to-once and for all-implement a permanent solution to the Medicare physician payment formula known as the sustainable growth rate, or SGR, which currently reimburses physicians based on volume, not the quality of care that they provide.
Within the last few hours, members of Congress have introduced HR 1470, a bipartisan agreement to replace the flawed SGR formula with legislation that would:
- Repeal the SGR and end the annual threat to seniors' care, while instituting a 0.5% payment update each year for five years.
- Improve the fee-for-service system by streamlining Medicare's existing web of quality programs into one value-based performance program. It increases payment accuracy and encourages physicians to adopt proven practices.
- Incentivize the use of alternative payment models to encourage doctors and providers to focus more on coordination and prevention to improve quality and reduce costs.
- Make Medicare more transparent by giving patients more access to information and supplying doctors with data they can use to improve care.
- Extend the Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
With the current temporary fix set to expire on April 1, unless Congress votes soon, Medicare physician reimbursements will be cut by 20.9 percent.
For more than a decade, Congress has kicked the can down the road, creating an unstable environment for Medicare patients and the physicians who treat them. If Congress does not act now to correct the financial underpinnings of Medicare physician reimbursement, patient access will be threatened.
As long as the SGR remains in place, it will continue to prohibit innovation, create access issues for seniors and provide a disincentive for physicians to participate in Medicare.
Watch for an SGIM Alert and Related Messages on GIMConnect later today, then
contact your elected officials.
Tell them vote for HR 1470 and that NOW IS THE TIME TO REPEAL SGR.
How Do I Learn About SGIM's Advocacy Positions?
Learn about the Congressional process and how YOU can become an effective advocate by viewing the documents in the Advocacy 101 area. You can also read the monthly advocacy documents written by our government relations specialists or ramp up your advocacy education by reading past Quick Hits, SGIM's member advocacy newsletter. You can also look at the collective legislative endorsements on which SGIM is a signatory
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