The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons issued a statement to Congress over the Medicare physician fee schedule urging action and reform.
The proposed physician fee schedule would include a minimum 2.8% pay cut, according to a Sept. 12 news release shared with Becker's.
House Reps. Greg Murphy, MD, R-N.C.; Brad Wenstrup, DPM, R-Ohio; and Michael Burgess, MD, R-Texas, teamed up with Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., to introduce the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act to reform the physician fee schedule budget neutrality requirements. Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark.; Peter Welch,D-Vt.; Thom Tillis, R-N.C.; Angus King, I-Maine; Roger Marshall, MD, R-Kan.; and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., also introduced the bipartisan Physician Fee Stabilization Act. Together the bills would add more stability and predictability to CMS physician payments, according to the association.
"Without inflation-based updates, Medicare physician payments continue to lag behind rising medical costs, jeopardizing patient access to care," Russell Lonser, MD, chair of the AANS/CNS Washington Committee, said in the release. "It's time for Congress to address this and ensure that surgical care is valued appropriately so neurosurgeons can continue delivering high-quality care."