Please consider sending the following as an email to your member of Congress urging them to sign onto the Bera/Bucshon letter being circulated in Congress.

Subject
Please Cosign the Bera/Bucshon Letter

Dear Representative LAST NAME,

As a constituent and practicing Neurointerventional Physician, I’d like to request your signature on a letter urging House leadership to take immediate action to alleviate upcoming Medicare reimbursement cuts.  This critical effort is being led by Congressmen Ami Bera, MD (D-CA) and Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN).

These cuts, scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2021, are a result of CMS increasing the reimbursement for evaluation and management (E/M) codes within the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS).  Because current law requires budget neutrality to occur within the MPFS, these increases must be offset by corresponding decreases elsewhere in the fee schedule.  As a result, neurointerventionalists who provide services for emergent stroke and other critically ill patients are facing an up to 11% Medicare reimbursement reduction depending on their base specialty.  For neurointerventionalists who have followed CDC guidelines and closed for non-essential procedures, these cuts exacerbate an already stressful situation and will plunge many practices into an even more uncertain future—ultimately threatening Medicare beneficiary access for these lifesaving services.  In addition, private payors often mirror Medicare payment adjustments; if these cuts are implemented and the reductions permeate through the private payor world, surviving practices will see even larger, often unsustainable, impacts.

To become a signatory on the letter urging immediate action by House Leadership to stop these forthcoming payment reductions, please contact Colleen Nguyen (colleen.nguyen@mail.house.gov) in Representative Bera’s office or Dylan Moore (Dylan.moore@mail.house.gov) in Representative Bucshon’s office. This critical action by Congress will give providers some financial relief and ensure practices are able to continue to provide optimal patient care as our nation continues to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME, MD

YOUR TITLE

YOUR INSTITUTION