Sustainable Growth Rate

In a letter to Reps. Joe Heck (R-Nev.) and Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.), co-sponsors of the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act, ASCO applauds the legislation for proposing to repeal the sustainable growth rate and reform the Medicare reimbursement system. The bill also averts scheduled reimbursement cuts for 2014, expands testing of new payment models and provides options for physicians to transition to new payment models.

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The House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees recently requested feedback from ASCO and other medical societies on its second draft of their sustainable growth rate reform proposal. ASCO’s response underscores the importance of physician leadership and testing in the areas of quality measurement and development of new payment models as part of SGR reform.

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The first three installments of ASCO’s new payment reform series provide context and background on the growing call for reform of the Medicare physician payment system. Rising healthcare costs, along with misaligned payment formulas, have triggered an unprecedented national dialogue on the need to change the way Medicare reimburses physicians for patient care. Congress, the Administration and the oncology community are seriously examining options for restructuring care delivery and reimbursement to ensure higher-quality and more cost-efficient patient-centered care.

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In response to the House Ways and Means Committee proposal on repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula, ASCO is calling for a phased approach to permanent repeal of the flawed formula in order to help oncology practices remain stable and viable during the transition period.

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Amid the many federal budget issues challenging all of medicine today, none is thornier, perhaps, than the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula that perennially threatens Medicare patients’ access to critical health care and the viability of physician practices across the United States. In oncology, the turbulence and uncertainty caused by this issue has been acute.

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Don’t miss ASCO’s free national webinar Adapting to Changes in Medicare for 2013 on Tuesday, January 15, 4:00pm – 5:30pm ET.

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Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed legislation, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, to avert the so-called fiscal cliff and temporarily forestall cuts to Medicare, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Senate passed the legislation by an overwhelming margin earlier that day.

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House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) canceled a vote on his "Plan B" fiscal cliff proposal late Thursday, December 20, after failing to find enough support in the House. With this recent development, it is unlikely Congress will reach a deal to prevent cuts to NIH, FDA and Medicare before the Christmas holiday. Congress is expected to return to Washington next Thursday to attempt reach an agreement. Congressional leadership have also directed their staff to continue working on a deal over the holidays.

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