Proposed Medicare Payment Cuts: Its Time to Come Together and Act

• By: admin
• On: 08/03/2021 10:47:25
• In: Payment

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is once again proposing payment cuts to Medicare outpatient services. Cuts that threaten patients' ability to access needed care and our ability to provide it. Physical therapy isn't alone in these sweeping cuts — some three-dozen other health care professions are affected as well, some worse than ours.
 
Last year, late intervention by Congress was the only thing that diminished CMS' plans to implement an estimated average 9% cut to physical therapy payment in 2021. Thanks to grassroots activism by our members, Congress appropriated an additional $3 billion to Medicare fee schedule that reduced the cut to approximately 3.3%.
 
Without a change in course from CMS or congressional intervention again, the cuts will continue in 2022. CMS is also planning to move ahead with a plan that would reduce payment rates for outpatient therapy services delivered by PTAs and OTAs under Medicare Part B by 15% — the "differential."
 
It's time for the APTA community to do everything we can to advocate for our patients and our profession, both on Capitol Hill and at CMS.
 
You can help by learning the history behind the issues and then making your voice heard through our action centers. Membership matters. Your voice matters – and we are better together in our advocacy.  
 
Best,
 
Sharon Dunn, PT, PhD
Board-Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist
APTA President