By Fraser Cobbe
As discussed in my column last month, physicians are once again facing down the barrel of significant reductions in Medicare reimbursement if Congress does not step in to prevent the cuts from taking effect in January.
While many within organized medicine are focused on preventing the 3.75% cuts that are due related to the Evaluation & Management (E&M) Code reforms made in 2021, implementation of the Clinical Labor Pricing changes could have a much more detrimental impact to a number of physician specialists over the coming years.
In recognition of the detrimental impact of the clinical labor adjustments, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) agreed to a four-year transition period to ease in these cuts as part of the final 2022 Physician Fee Schedule. While spreading the pain over four years is appreciated on the surface, it does not eliminate the reality that the clinical labor adjustments will result in reductions in Medicare reimbursement of 20% for some physicians.
The Dade County Medical Association (DCMA) would like to thank Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) for their leadership on this issue. They introduced legislation in November that will stop CMS from implementing the changes in 2022 but also requires Health & Human Services (HHS) to analyze physician reimbursement in Medicare over the past 20 years and recommend long-term reforms.
It is critically important for our community to encourage Congress to pass the Rush/Bilirakis Bill and end this process of slow-walking crippling reductions in physician reimbursement. Access to care in the community for Medicare beneficiaries will be significantly impacted if these 20% clinical labor pricing cuts take effect.
These cuts are not sustainable for community-based physicians. The time to speak up and demand change is now. Ask our Congressional Delegation to support the Rush/Bilirakis bill.
Fraser Cobbe, Executive Director, Dade County Medical Association, can be reached at fcobbe@miamimed.com.
