Published 7/28/2022
Washington, D.C. (July 28, 2022)—The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) jointly with 103 other healthcare organizations is urging Congress to take further action to mitigate another round of reimbursement cuts within the recently released Calendar Year (CY) 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) proposed rule. In the letter representing over one million physician and non-physician health care professionals, the groups thank Congress for past payment reduction relief policies that have provided increased financial stability for Medicare clinicians and helped to ensure that our nation’s seniors maintain access to high-quality care. They stress, however, that further action is needed to address Medicare’s broken payment system and instability for healthcare professionals.
Further expanding on the comments within the letter, AAOS President Felix H. “Buddy” Savoie III, MD, FAAOS, explained: “As the leading association of musculoskeletal healthcare, the AAOS understands that millions of seniors rely on the Medicare program for coverage of their bone and joint needs. But when that payment system is continuously being devalued and is unsustainable, timely access to these essential healthcare services is at risk. The AAOS is urging Congress to provide our members with the foundation for necessary long-term payment reform so that we can keep our nation in motion.”
The letter cites that the recently released CY 2023 MPFS Proposed Rule, which jeopardizes the financial stability of many physician and non-physician practices by proposing to cut the Medicare conversion factor — the basic starting point for calculating Medicare payments — by approximately 4.5%. According to Dr. Savoie, these cuts, combined with the pending threat of the 4% pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) reduction, are simply not sustainable.
AAOS is committed to working with both Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to identify long-term policy solutions. It is in the process of reviewing the CY 2023 MPFS Proposed Rule and will submit formal comments to the agency ahead of the Sept. 6 deadline.
Read the full letter here.
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About the AAOS
The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Office of Government Relations promotes and advocates the viewpoint of the orthopaedic community before federal and state legislative, regulatory, and executive agencies. Based in Washington, DC, with additional staff in the Academy’s headquarters in Rosemont, Illinois, the Office of Government Relations identifies, analyzes, and directs all health policy activities and initiatives to position the AAOS as the trusted leaders in advancing musculoskeletal health.
For more information on all AAOS advocacy efforts, visit http://www.aaos.org/dc.
Contact AAOS Media Relations
Kristen Coultas
202-548-4143
coultas@aaos.org