MGMA outlines end-of-year legislative priorities (November 12, 2024)

November 12, 2024 
 

Re: MGMA Legislative Imperatives for the End of 2024

Dear Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader Jeffries, and Minority Leader McConnell:

On behalf of our member medical group practices, the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) thanks you for your leadership in supporting medical group practices’ ability to provide high-quality, cost-effective care. As we approach the end of 2024, we write to emphasize the urgent need for Congress to pass legislation regarding three key issues important to medical groups: averting the finalized cut to Medicare payment and providing an inflationary update for 2025, passing prior authorization reform, and extending telehealth flexibilities.

With a membership of more than 60,000 medical practice administrators, executives, and leaders, MGMA represents more than 15,000 medical group practices ranging from small private medical practices to large national health systems, representing more than 350,000 physicians. MGMA’s diverse membership uniquely situates us to offer the following legislative recommendations.

Medicare Physician Payment

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently finalized its 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) that will cut the Medicare conversion factor by 2.83% beginning Jan. 1, 2025. MGMA asks that Congress quickly pass the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act of 2024 (H.R. 10073) that would stop the full cut to Medicare conversion factor, in addition to providing a positive update equal to half of the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) to Medicare reimbursement for 2025. Without stopping the cut and providing this modest update, medical groups will endure an untenable further reduction to physician reimbursement that will compound other financial pressures such as staffing shortages and rising operational costs.

View the full letter