On September 6, the Medical Group Management Association submitted comments to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure in response to the proposed rule for the 2023 Physician Fee Schedule.
Three key recommendations from the MGMA, which represents more than 15,000 medical groups comprising more than 350,000 physicians:
1. The MGMA urged Congress to provide a positive update to Medicare conversion factor in 2023 and all years to come. The association expressed concern about the estimated reduction in the conversion factor and how it would affect medical groups already facing rising costs, inflation, staffing issues and the lingering effects of the pandemic. of COVID-19.
“The reductions resulting from the 4.42% decrease in the 2023 conversion factor, coupled with the potential impact of the Pay-As-You Go statutory law, are simply unsustainable,” wrote Anders Gilberg, Vice President Principal of Government Affairs of the MGMA, in the letter to CMS. “In an MGMA poll conducted Aug. 30, 90% of medical practices report that the planned reduction in Medicare payment in 2023 will reduce access to care.”
2. The association asked CMS to finalize the alignment proposal telehealth services with the Appropriations Consolidation Act of 2022 and continue to allow certain telehealth services to remain on Medicare’s list of telehealth services for 151 days after the public health emergency expires in addition to continuing to cover and permanently pay for audio-only tours.
3. The MGMA also asked CMS to adjust subgroup reporting requirements as part of the value pathways option of the merit-based incentive payment system to better reflect practices’ team-based care approaches and mitigate unnecessary administrative barriers.
The association advises against requiring practices to form subgroups for quality reporting activities. Practices leverage every member of the clinical team to support effective, patient-centered care. According to Mr. Gilberg, quality reports should support the team-based approach to care, not undermine it.
