Contact your Members of Congress – Urge Them to Prevent the Cut
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its calendar year (CY) 2025 proposed Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), an annual rule that impacts pay for physicians and other health care practitioners.
If the proposed 2.8% cut is implemented on January 1, 2025, it will mark the fifth consecutive year of reductions in Medicare physician payments. Congress needs to hear directly from you about how these cuts destabilize your ability to manage our nation’s health care safety net.
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Tell your representative that the current system is fundamentally flawed. A long-term fix is required instead of this annual scramble toward a temporary solution. |
Medicare physician reimbursements have failed to keep up with inflation for decades. ACEP’s advocacy to date has helped ensure that CMS included in this year’s proposed rule a positive budget neutrality conversion factor update, but even with that, physicians will still face a 2.8% cut. More must be done so that Medicare reimbursement reflects the fair value of physician services.
Congress has the authority and ability to fix this, but they need to hear from emergency physicians to move on this critical issue.
ACEP represents individual emergency physicians at all the right tables. Your input helps make sure that emergency physicians’ participation in CMS value-based programs is accessible and realistic.
The CMS proposal also suggests changes to the CMS Quality Payment Program, including the ACEP-developed Emergency Medicine Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Value Pathway, or the Emergency Medicine MVP.
ACEP created and supported the implementation of this model as a strong option to encourage uniform reporting of emergency medical services, which helps MIPS performance scores.
What’s Next?
ACEP will submit formal comments to CMS by September 9, 2024. The final rule is expected to be released on or around November 1, 2024—with an effective date of January 1, 2025.
Progress on payment reform is not out of reach. Congress must hear directly from you about the importance of long-term stability for Medicare beneficiaries and the physicians who provide their care. ACEP will not stop working to make sure your voices are heard, and your work is fairly valued.
