BIDEN'S BUDGET FOCUSED ON HEALTHCARE CYBERSECURITY, MEDICAL SUPPLY CHAIN

Following the State of the Union, President Biden released his $7.3 trillion budget proposal for FY 2025, which included a hefty investment in healthcare cybersecurity, an expansion of Medicare’s drug negotiation program, an extension of the Medicare hospital insurance trust fund, and an investment in the domestic medical supply chain. Presidential budgets are not legally binding, rather they are used to message the Administration’s priorities.

CHANGE HEALTHCARE OUTAGE UPDATE

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced over the weekend the availability of advanced Medicare payments for medical groups in response to the Change Healthcare cyberattack. The agency sent a letter to healthcare leaders urging UnitedHealth Group and other insurance companies to take additional actions.

MGMA appreciates CMS heeding our calls to provide financial relief to medical groups and remains steadfast in our efforts to advocate with policymakers for additional support. CMS extended the MIPS submission window for performance year 2023 to April 15, 2024, in response to the Change Healthcare outage.

ENSURE YOUR PRACTICE'S COMPLIANCE WITH INFORMATION BLOCKING RULES

Join MGMA and Micky Tripathi, PhD, MPP, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on Thursday, March 21 at 1 p.m. ET for a member-exclusive webinar reviewing information blocking regulations, including the proposed provider disincentive rule. Attendees will gain an understanding of the significance of compliance with the 21st Century Cures Act and the consequences which will result from committing information blocking. The webinar will outline key provisions, including proposed disincentives for providers participating in Medicare’s Promoting Interoperability Program, the Quality Payment Program, and the Medicare Shared Savings Program.

For more information, including how to register, please click here.

MGMA SUPPORTS PERMANENT TELEHEALTH REFORM

The House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing this week examining ways to enhance access to care at home in rural and underserved communities. MGMA submitted a statement for the record outlining our 2024 advocacy priorities for telehealth. We recommended permanently extending many of the telehealth policies currently in place, allowing practitioners offering telehealth services from their home to continue reporting their work address for Medicare enrollment, and more.