Bipartisan leaders involved in the House Energy and Commerce Committee as well as the House Ways and Means Committee recently wrote a letter about successfully implementing the bipartisan Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).
The letter asks HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell to think about offering flexibility for all U.S. practitioners. This is a crucial part of MACRA’s potential success for doctors and other health care providers; otherwise patients will not receive the quality care that they need.
Reps. Fred Upton (R–MI, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D–NJ, ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee), Joseph Pitts (R–PA, Health Subcommittee chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee), Gene Green (D–TX, ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee Health Subcommittee), Kevin Brady (R–TX, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee), Sander Levin (D–MI, ranking member of Ways and Means), Pat Tiberi (R–OH, chairman of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee), and Jim McDermott (D–WA, ranking member of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee) wrote the letter.
“The Congressional intent for MACRA was twofold: to consolidate, streamline and ease the burden of the various quality reporting programs for physicians and practitioners and to incentivize quality, value-based care through aligned payment bonuses and reductions for physicians and practitioners,” they wrote. “With these principles, we urge the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure that all physicians and practitioners have an equal opportunity to succeed under the Quality Payment Program.”
