APTA, ASHA, AOTA to Congress: Let's Take on the Fee Schedule — Here's How

Along with APTA Private Practice, the associations have a plan for reform that could dramatically alter the Medicare payment landscape.

News

Date: Wednesday, June 28, 2023

With momentum building on Capitol Hill to address longstanding problems with the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, APTA, APTA Private Practice, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and the American Occupational Therapy Association are urging lawmakers to adopt an “all of the above” game plan laid out in a set of joint principles for reform. It's a multipronged approach that includes not only the adoption of legislation to tie fee schedule payment to inflation, but even more far-reaching changes that would significantly improve the Medicare payment environment for rehabilitation therapy providers.

The "Policy Principles of Outpatient Therapy Reform Under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule" is a conceptual roadmap offering five changes specific to outpatient therapy that the organizations say need to be made for the continued sustainability of Medicare in rehabilitation therapy. The recommendations include everything from abolishing the Multiple Procedure Payment Recovery policy, or MPPR, to reforms that would allow physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists to more fully participate in alternative payment systems, along with changes that would significantly reduce red tape for providers.

"Over the last three years, rehabilitation therapy providers have received some of the largest cuts of any health care providers as a result of the fee schedule's budget neutrality policies," the organizations write in a joint statement to Congress that accompanies the principles document. "These joint policy principles … identify some of the high-impact reforms that are needed to address administrative burden, value-based payment, and patient choice challenges that limit patient access to providers of occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language-pathology services."

In an APTA news release, APTA President Roger Herr, PT, MPA, said "Reforms to the Medicare fee schedule must address the unique challenges faced by therapy providers. These joint policy principles impacting outpatient therapy services provide a starting point, and APTA is eager to work with our congressional champions and provider allies in seeking meaningful fee schedule reforms."

The principles come just as the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services puts final touches on its proposed 2024 physician fee schedule rule, expected to be published sometime in July. APTA will offer ways for members to make their voices heard during the subsequent public comment period.

Click to read what the principles include.

https://www.apta.org/news/2023/06/28/pfs-policy-principles?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Informz%20email%20link&_zs=H8RfV1&_zl=bTc59