Advocacy News

Hundreds of your colleagues have already told legislators to include payment relief in any bill that addresses the Jan. 19 government funding deadline. Add your voice and help protect patient access to care.

Committee action in the House and Senate this week focused on Medicare, with hearings on Academy priorities to improve patient access to care, including policies to reform prior authorization and update the Medicare physician payment system.

As policymakers look to drive new payment models, the Academy outlined how we believe the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services can make new payment models accessible to medical specialties like ophthalmology.

About 3,500 hospitals and 6,000 ambulatory surgical centers (ASC) that perform ophthalmic procedures would be affected by the proposed pay hike.  

HHS and MedPAC Reports Encourage Significant Changes to Part B Drug Payment The Academy is monitoring congressional reaction to these reports given that the recommendations would impact ophthalmologists.

The latest meeting to challenge payment of global period post-operative visits stressed the complexity of medical decision-making.

This unusual move by MedPAC, which advises Congress, signals growing awareness of the need for Medicare payment reform.  

We pushed CMS to release the rule, which would reduce the cost of this important bill to entice Senate action by the end of the year.  

We shared several ideas on how to reform physician payment to address both the growing number of annual cuts you face and long-term stability for the Medicare system.  

In a 50-plus-page letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator, we urged the agency to engage with Congress to ensure appropriate physician reimbursement and reform of the Medicare payment system.