“If Congress does not act, Medicare payments will have been cut by more than seven percent over the past four years, and when adjusted for inflation, physician payments from Medicare have effectively declined by 30 percent over the past two decades.
“This is unsustainable for our nation’s medical groups, physicians, and other health care providers. The effects of these cuts will be exacerbated in rural and underserved areas, which continue to face significant healthcare access challenges.”
DHPA cites rising healthcare costs, and the fact that reimbursement rates for independent GI practices are not keeping up with inflation in practice costs and consumer prices. The advocacy group, which represents independent GI practices, called on Congress to enact comprehensive payment reform that provides a permanent inflation-based update based on the Medicare Economic Index.