Here are five medical associations' reactions to the proposed CMS rule changes to the physician fee schedule for 2024, which would constitute a 3.34 percent decrease from the conversion factor in 2023:
AMA President Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD: This is almost biblical in its impact. Seven lean years that include a pandemic and rampaging inflation. Physicians need relief from this unsustainable journey. … These increasingly thin or negative operating margins disproportionately affect small, independent and rural physician practices as well as those treating low-income or other historically minoritized or marginalized patient communities. Piling on more cuts is an unsustainable approach. Congress needs to turn its attention to fixing Medicare so we can preserve access for patients.
American Medical Group Association President and CEO Jerry Penso, MD: AMGA members cannot absorb this proposed payment cut. Their expenses are continuing to increase, and Congress needs to act to ensure Medicare's reimbursement reflects the cost of delivering high-quality care to patients. We're concerned AMGA members may be forced to make tough decisions on staffing and the services they can offer to their communities if proposed cuts are left unaddressed.
Society of Thoracic Surgeons President Thomas MacGillivray, MD: The STS and the rest of the physician community will continue to fight for appropriate Medicare reimbursement that keeps up with inflation. Physicians, including those treating the sickest and most comorbid patients, continue to receive across-the-board cuts while Medicare continues to increase payments to other healthcare sectors automatically. If Medicare and Congress do nothing to stop these devastating cuts, the health and safety of the nation’s seniors will be at risk.
American College of Rheumatology President Douglas White, MD, PhD: While the ACR appreciates CMS' continued recognition of the value of complex care provided by rheumatologists and other cognitive care specialists by continuing to operationalize the Evaluation and Management (E/M) coding changes, we are gravely concerned that the proposed rule's physician payment cuts contained in CMS' conversion factor would add to physicians' uncertainty about their continued ability to provide the highest quality of care to Medicare patients. The ACR will review the rule closely and looks forward to working with the CMS and Congress to mitigate the fee schedule's impact on physicians who continue to confront workforce shortages, onerous payer utilization management policies and sustained payment cuts.
American Society of Anesthesiologists: The ASA opposes these additional Medicare payment cuts included in the CY 2024 PFS proposed rule. The proposed rule underscores how the Medicare payment system is broken, especially during a time when anesthesia groups are faced with continued inflation pressures. ASA has already launched an initiative to engage legislative stakeholders and regulatory agencies to minimize and reverse these cuts that negatively impact anesthesiologists.