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ACP Offers ‘Enthusiastic Support’ of Senate Bill

American College of Physicians Pledges Support for Enactment of Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008

06/10/2008

Washington — The American College of Physicians (ACP) pledged its support for enactment of S. 3101, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.

“The College is able to enthusiastically support S. 3101 because it addresses and incorporates three of our top legislative priorities,” wrote ACP president, Jeffrey P. Harris, MD, FACP, in a letter to Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Writing on behalf of the medical specialty society, Harris “congratulates” Baucus on introduction of the bill because:

>>The Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) physician payment cuts will be replaced by 18 months of positive updates.
>>Medicare payment policies will be improved to address the growing crisis in access to primary care services.
>>The bill includes increased funding for the Medicare medical home demonstration project and authorizes the Secretary to expand it if the demo achieves measurable improvements in patient care.

“We had three top legislative priorities for the Medicare bill, all of which are included in S. 3101: 18 months of positive updates instead of the SGR cuts, improvements in payments for primary care services (change in budget neutrality adjustment from work Relative Value Units (RVUs) to the conversion factor, increases for primary care services in Physician Scarcity Areas (PSAs), and funding and authority for the medical home demo — and all of these are included in S. 3101,” noted Harris. “ACP policy also supports the benefit improvements in the bill — meaning coverage for preventive services and phasing out of the higher mental health copay.”

“Based on ACP’s policies, we are pleased to lend our full support to the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 and to urge its enactment,” Harris concluded.

Source: American College of Physicians

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