Congress Passes 1.68% Physician Fee Schedule Relief

Congress Passes 1.68% Physician Fee Schedule Provider Relief

Congress has agreed to a 1.68% increase to the physician fee schedule beginning this week. This is some good news for providers, but it still doesn’t close the gap on the 3.37% cut initiated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last fall which went into effect on January 1, 2024.

The most recent 3.37% cut is just one of a series of cuts that Medicare B providers have faced, totalling nearly 10% over the last 4 years.  Industry underfunding has serious implications for seniors and providers, including access to care, inability to cover rising practice costs and growing staffing shortages.

Healthcare Advocacy Is Needed Now More Than Ever

Healthcare advocates and providers need to ask Congress to:  

• Provide for a temporary exemption to the 15% therapy assistant differential for providers treating Medicare beneficiaries in rural and/or medically underserved areas.  
• Remove mechanisms that annually create significant unpredictable reductions in pay so that providers receive payment that covers the cost of care now and in the years to come.

Advocating takes only a minute using this prepopulated template. Email your congress member. Take an additional minute to personalize your message and make an even bigger impact!