The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons strongly opposes legislation that would impose government-set payment benchmarks to address surprise medical bill disputes, saying it would threaten "the independent practice of medicine."
Even if payment benchmarks were tied to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, physicians would "be forced to leave geographic areas with a mandated rate insufficient for covering costs," said AAOS President Kristy L. Weber, MD, in a press release.
Dr. Weber continued: "The CPI-U can't keep up with new technology or the dynamic medical costs of innovation. Like any benchmark, it would threaten not only the independent practice of medicine but also patient access during a time when choice and competition are increasingly limited."
AAOS instead supports proposals designed to prevent unexpected out-of-network bills through arbitration, such as the bipartisan "Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act" created by Rep. Raul Ruiz, MD, D-Calif., and Rep. Phil Roe, MD, R-Tenn.
In a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, AAOS said unexpected bills are the result of "narrow, inadequate" insurer networks and encouraged an arbitration system that relies on an independent database.
The physician-led Out Of The Middle coalition also favors the Ruiz-Roe proposal, which encourages transparency from insurers.