MGMA to Congress: Prevent cuts to Medicare in CY 2022

On Monday, MGMA and hundreds of other healthcare organizations sent a letter to congressional leadership urging them to address the cuts to Medicare reimbursement slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2022. More specifically, the groups asked Congress to extend the 3.75% payment adjustment through at least CY 2022. Last year, Congress appropriated funds to the Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) to mitigate cuts stemming from payment policy changes that went into effect in CY 2021. That 3.75% increase to the PFS expires at the end of this year. MGMA will soon share resources and grassroots letters addressing these impending cuts for members to engage in #MGMAAdvocacy! The letter may be viewed here.

MGMA to Congress: Prevent cuts to labs in CY 2022

This week, MGMA and two dozen other leading healthcare organizations wrote to Congress asking to extend the hold on laboratory payment cuts and the private payer data reporting period under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) for a year. In 2014, Congress passed the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) with the goal of giving Medicare beneficiaries access to critical health services, such as laboratory tests. The way that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services implemented PAMA led to severe cuts to laboratories under Medicare. The CARES Act, passed in 2020, delayed the implementation of the CLFS cuts in 2021. Without congressional intervention, physician office laboratories could see cuts up to 15% for tests. The letter may be viewed here.