Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Vice Chairman of the House Rules Committee, and Chairman of the Budget Committee Health Care Task Force, played a pivotal role in today's Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing, "What’s the Prognosis?: Examining Medicare Proposals to Improve Patient Access to Care & Minimize Red Tape for Doctors." During the hearing, Burgess championed several pieces of legislation, addressing crucial issues within the health care system.
“This hearing is the first time in four years that we have considered updates to our reimbursement system, and the first time since I came to Congress that we are considering landmark legislation to address budget neutrality. Today, we addressed issues that directly impact American physicians and the U.S. health care system. I am thankful that so many of my legislative initiatives were brought into the conversation today, and we took significant steps toward supporting our dedicated physicians,” said Burgess. “The Provider Reimbursement Stability Act, H.R. 4402 theSunshine Act of 2023, and H.R. 5395 the Quality Payment Program (QPP) SURS Extension Act are crucial measures to ensure stability in reimbursements, improve access to educational resources, and reduce burden on rural providers. Additionally, the Medicare Advantage Qualifying Payment Arrangement Incentive(MAQI) Demonstration Project offers a promising path to ease the burdens on clinicians, encouraging their participation in vital payment arrangements, and elevate reporting requirements on clinicians to create build a health care system that better serves both physicians and patients alike."
More information on the legislation considered:
Provider Reimbursement Stability Act, Co-Chairs of GOP Doctors Caucus (Discussion Draft):
Burgess led the discussion on the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act in committee after introducing the discussion draft with the co-chairs of the GOP Doctors Caucus. This includes updating the budget neutrality threshold, reconciling overestimates and underestimates in utilization, and ensuring timely updates to direct costs used to calculate practice expense relative value units (RVUs). This legislation aims to bring much-needed stability to health care provider reimbursements, ensuring that patients have access to quality care without disruption.
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to revise certain physician self-referral exemptions relating to physician owned hospitals (Discussion Draft):
This legislation would allow physician ownership in rural hospitals for hospitals that are more than a 35-mile drive (or in the case of mountainous terrain or in areas with only secondary roads available, a 15 mile drive) from the main patient campus of the hospital or critical access hospital. In addition, this legislation would allow existing physician owned hospitals that have been restricted since the adoption of the Affordable Care Act to expand and continue to serve rural patients. This critical piece of legislation would enable physicians to remain in the business of health care while providing patients with access to the care they need.
H.R. 4402 the Sunshine Act of 2023, Michael C. Burgess, M.D., and Ami Bera, M.D.:
Another critical bill, the bipartisan Sunshine Act of 2023, introduced with Rep. Ami Bera, seeks to rectify a misinterpretation in current regulations that has been hindering physicians' access to essential educational resources. The act specifically targets the reporting of financial interactions with industry counterparts, exempting educational materials such as medical textbooks, peer-reviewed journals, and continuing medical education events. By doing so, this bill enables physicians to stay informed and provide the best care to their patients.
H.R. 5395 the SURS Extension Act, Rep. Melanie Stansbury and Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D.:
Burgess is a strong advocate for rural health care providers. He co-leads the legislation with Rep. Stansbury to extend the Small Practice, Underserved, and Rural Support Program (SURS), which aids rural and underserved practices in participating in the Quality Payment Program (QPP). This extension will provide much-needed support to health care providers in underserved areas.
MAQI Demonstration Project, Rep. Marionette Miller Meeks, Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D., (Discussion Draft):
The MAQI Demonstration Project, led by Marionette Miller-Meeks and Burgess, is designed to encourage Merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS)-eligible clinicians to participate in payment arrangements with Medicare Advantage Organizations. Physicians who meet the participation requirements are exempt from MIPS reporting requirements and payment adjustments, promoting greater participation in the program.
For more information on these bills and Burgess' continued efforts to improve health care, please click HERE.
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