APTQI Joins 130+ Stakeholder Groups Calling for MPFS Reform

APTQI recently signed a coalition letter to U.S. Senate and House leaders calling on Congress to address systemic flaws in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), including the proposed -2.8% reduction for the conversion factor in CY 2025 and the need for annual inflationary update adjustments.

The group of 134 physician and non-physician organizations representing more than one million patients and clinicians sent a letter on September 24 urging Congress to act before the end of 2024 to provide financial stability to the provider community in order to protect beneficiary access to care.

“In 2025, the proposed 2.8% payment reduction will coincide with an expected 3.6% increase in medical practice cost inflation, as measured by the Medicare Economic Index (MEI). When adjusted for inflation, Medicare physician payments have declined by 29% from 2001 to 2024. This is clearly not a sustainable trajectory,” the groups wrote.

According to the groups, the MPFS is the only payment system within Medicare that does not offer an annual inflationary update, adding economic pressures on practices already struggling to manage resources and care for patients in their communities.

The coalition further wrote in support of H.R. 2474, H.R. 6371 and S. 4935—three pieces of legislation that would offer stability to providers under the MPFS by creating a permanent MEI-based inflationary update and increasing the MPFS budget neutrality threshold in statute.

To read the coalition letter and list of supportive organizations, CLICK HERE.

To read APTQI’s comment letter on the MPFS proposed rule for CY 2025, CLICK HERE.