The staff of Congress’ primary Medicare advisory body recommended that based payment cuts for physicians to go into effect, according to Modern Healthcare.
A legislative freeze on the cuts side of that equation is scheduled to expire Dec. 31, and while The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission hasn’t voted, they suggest supplementing or cutting physician payments based on a comparison of costs in the area in which they practice.
The draft recommendation to lift the freeze was based on the staff findings that it has not helped improve seniors’ access to physicians. The staff also concluded that the halt in physician pay cuts has not improved the quality of care Medicare beneficiaries receive or moved Medicare toward more integrated care delivery.
The staff acknowledged that the geographic-based adjustment system is not the ideal way to improve patient access but recommended the full system go into effect, if a better alternative cannot be found.
The staff recommendation presented at MedPAC’s Oct. 5 public meeting did not specify when the cuts should begin— MedPAC’s report on the geographic adjustments is not due to Congress until June 2013.
MedPAC is scheduled to further discuss how the geographic pricing cost index might affect access to providers at its next public meeting that begins Nov. 1.
Source:
http://healthcare.dmagazine.com/2012/10/07/doctors-location-may-affect-pay/