House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered opening remarks at today’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing titled “MACRA Checkup: Assessing Implementation and Challenges that Remain for Patients and Doctors.”
ENHANCING TRANSPARENCY & REDUCING COSTS
“This committee is actively working on bipartisan solutions to enhance transparency and reduce health care costs.
“We moved a bipartisan health package through the full committee unanimously just last month.
“We're now focusing on how current laws facilitate quality care for American seniors.
“That’s what we sought to do when Congress passed MACRA in 2015 in a bipartisan manner, and I want to thank Dr. Burgess for his leadership on that effort.”
MACRA TOOK IMPORTANT FIRST STEPS FOR BETTER CARE
“MACRA, which replaced the Sustainable Growth Rate formula, brought stability to the medical provider community.
“For decades, the traditional Medicare fee-for-service system inadvertently incentivized the proliferation of low-value health care services by paying for volume rather than health outcomes for patients.
“When seniors visited their doctors, they often received a multitude of services that may not have been necessary for their health, simply because the system rewarded quantity rather than the quality of care.
“MACRA introduced a new approach that prioritizes quality over quantity.
“The Quality Payment Program, consisting of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and Advanced Alternative Payment Models, aimed to streamline reporting measures and reduce administrative burdens on providers, allowing doctors to dedicate more time to patient care.”
MORE WORK NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND & IMPROVE MACRA
“Today's hearing will deepen our understanding of MACRA's implementation and help us address remaining barriers to optimal patient care.
“Our work becomes more urgent as more Americans age into the Medicare program and the financial and regulatory pressures on health care providers inside and outside of Medicare mount.
“We must pay special attention to the challenges faced by doctors in rural areas, such as those in my district in Eastern Washington.
“As we learned throughout this committee’s process to address health care costs and transparency, outdated Medicare payment policies and rules can lead to regulatory capture which encourages greater health care consolidation that leads to higher prices for patients and reduced quality of care.
“The impact of MACRA on rural healthcare providers has been significant, and small practices in these areas may face large burdens in transitioning to value-based payment arrangements, which may be leading to further provider consolidation.
“Our rural health care providers are integral to the health of our communities but continue to grapple with financial and technological hurdles.
“Despite these challenges, they have shown remarkable resilience and commitment to providing quality care to our constituents.
“Our goal today is to learn more about where improvements are needed to ensure rural health providers can further improve care.”
CHALLENGES TO SPECIALISTS AND PROVIDERS
“MACRA has also presented challenges to specialists and small practices, which may not have the resources to build a model of their own or balance the financial tradeoffs.
“Take for example the Oncology Care Model and its successor model the Enhancing Oncology Model, which are Alternative Payment Models focused on caring for Medicare patients undergoing chemotherapy.
“These models aim to improve the quality of care for cancer patients by encouraging oncologists to coordinate care, make evidence-based treatment decisions, and engage patients in their care, all with the goal of enhancing the patient's overall experience and health.
“While in some ways, these models were a step forward, they have also highlighted areas where we need to improve.
“This includes how to better align payment incentives and regulatory flexibilities to deliver cost savings and better health outcomes for patients, as well as the uncertainty that comes with models being phased in and out as administrations change.
“Another key issue we must address is the financial strain on our providers.
“It is concerning to note that, when adjusted for inflation in practice costs, physician pay within Medicare has declined 22 percent from 2001 to 2021.
“At the same time, the cost of running a medical practice has increased 39 percent.
“This financial pressure is a significant barrier to the adoption of value-based care models, and we must think creatively about how to alleviate that pressure and encourage adoption of innovative payment policies that I previously described.
“As we continue this hearing, let us remember that our goal is to ensure that MACRA is implemented in a way that benefits both America’s seniors and our health care providers.
“I am confident that this committee can continue to lead in a bipartisan way to lower costs for patients and strengthen our health care system.”
Original source can be found here.