Congressional Advisory Commission Discusses Aligning Physician Payments to Medicare Economic Index

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) discussed reforming physician fee schedule (PFS) updates and improving the accuracy of payments during its November meeting. MedPAC is an independent congressional agency established to advise Congress about issues affecting the Medicare program.

Commissioners considered policy options that would align physicians’ annual payment update to the Medicare Economic Index, a measure of cost inflation for physician services. No final recommendations were determined, but MedPAC continues to discuss physician payment accuracy.

MedPAC also discussed Medicare Advantage (MA) provider networks and directory changes. MA networks include less-costly providers than their regional average, but differences in quality are less clear. Commissioners agreed that additional data is needed to analyze the association of network size to access-related indicators for MA enrollees.

For more information or if you have questions, contact Christina Berry, American College of Radiology® (ACR®) Team Lead, or Kimberly Greck, Senior Economic Analyst.