HOUSE COMMITTEE ADVANCES LEGISLATION TO REFORM PRIOR AUTHORIZATION

The House Committee on Ways and Means held a markup of healthcare legislation yesterday. One of the bills considered, the Health Care Price Transparency Act of 2023, included provisions that would make critical changes to the prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage plans. Specifically, the legislative text incorporates language from the the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act which MGMA has long supported and has broad bipartisan support among Congress.

MGMA Government Affairs issued a statement before the markup in support of the inclusion of the prior authorization provisions. The Committee agreed on a 25-16 vote to report the "Transparency Act" to the House floor. We will continue to monitor this legislation and advocate for commonsense prior authorization reform.

SAVE THE DATE: GOVCHAT LIVE ON PROPOSED 2024 PHYSICIAN FEE SCHEDULE

MGMA Government Affairs is hosting a GovChat Live on Monday, August 7, at 2 p.m. ET. During this member-exclusive discussion, the team will provide a high-level overview of policies included in the proposed 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), including changes to the conversion factor/reimbursement, telehealth, behavioral health, E/M visits, the Medicare Shared Savings Program, and the Quality Payment Program. MGMA will be seeking feedback from members to help inform our comments in response to the policy proposals and will answer questions during the interactive discussion. 

Registration information is available on the MGMA GovChat Community page. If you have questions, please email govaff@mgma.org.

REMINDER: MID-YEAR POLICY UPDATE WEBINAR AVAILABLE  ON-DEMAND

If you missed MGMA's mid-year policy update webinar earlier this month, it is now available to members on-demand. To learn about the current congressional and regulatory landscape as it pertains to medical practices, federal payment issues on the horizon, and the latest on MGMA's advocacy and member engagement, the recording may be accessed here. 

For additional insights on the proposed cuts to Medicare reimbursement, prior authorization reform, Medicare site of service differentials, upcoming changes to health IT regulations, telehealth policies following the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, and more, members are encouraged to read our latest article from the July 2023 issue of MGMA Connection magazine.