Congress Called On To Replace 'Devastating' Cuts In Medicare Reimbursements

The American College of Physicians (ACP) renewed its call on Congress to replace the 10.1 percent devastating cuts in Medicare reimbursements set to take effect Jan. 1 with at least two years of positive updates that are paid for in a way that does not make the problem worse in future years. The organization of 124,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists and medical students reacted to the final physician fee schedule published late last Thurs. by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

"The cuts will accelerate the collapse of primary care, create access problems and manufacture obstacles to fundamental reform of physician policies," emphasized ACP President David C. Dale, MD, FACP. "It is essential that lawmakers agree on an immediate fix that will provide positive and stable updates, support patient-centered care coordinated by a personal physician, and create the building blocks for long-term reform of a flawed payment system."