End of Year Update on RBMA's Advocacy Efforts
As you are aware, Congress has approved the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act which includes language that will mitigate the proposed cuts to radiology reimbursement scheduled for 1/1/21. In addition the bill included language regarding surprise medical billing that will affect all medical practices. What you need to know today:
EM Cuts: The language, attached, provides for $3B of funding to pay for a 3.75% increase in the fee schedule. In addition, Congress is delaying the implementation of the add on complexity code which drives an additional 30% cut. Congress also is putting a moratorium on sequestration for 90 days. Bottom line is that we have several folks working on the math to determine what the actual cuts will be. We should know that this week but we may be looking at cuts to radiology in 2021 of less than 4%. Congress also approved Alternative Payment Models for two additional years. This may allow providers to qualify for the 5% APM payment. We encourage each of your practices to review the attached legislation with either your in-house or outsourced billing organization to determine the actual effect.
Surprise Medical Billing: In a last minute add-on, Congress approved surprise medical billing legislation (SMB). SMB has been a focus of RBMA for the last 2 years. RBMA members participated in a survey that was widely circulated on Capitol Hill in 2019 showing the small percentage of radiology medical bills that would be considered under this type of legislation. In the end, the SMB legislation was focused on more transparency with patients. Of note is that a last minute provision regarding the timely billing of medical bills was not included. RBMA worked with a host of organizations to make sure that members of Congress understood the complexities of SMB. A complete summary is attached.
Provider Relief Fund: The legislation also contained language regarding the use of Provider Relief Funds. We continue to gather information on the proper use and reporting of these funds and will post additional clarification and guidance as it becomes available.
RBMA's grassroots campaign to fight the EM cuts was successful thanks to our members stepping up and sending the don't cut docs message. RBMA members funded this campaign with voluntary contributions that totaled over $100,000 to date. In addition, you took our call to action with nearly 5,000 registrations on the dontcutdocs.com website that sent this important message to members of the Senate. Our reach included all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Our goal was to drive a grassroots message to members of Congress on the effects of these extreme cuts. This message only enhanced the efforts of our partners on Capitol Hill like the ACR. Our thanks extend to our partners in advocacy Shea McCarthy at Thorn Run Partners and the team at the ACR. As we move forward into 2021 RBMA will continue to work with a coalition of physician organizations to explore more equitable funding of physician reimbursements.
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Robert Still FRBMA
Executive Director
Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA)
Fairfax VA
(703) 621-3363
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