Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.5054 | Sponsor: Rep. Axne, Cynthia (D-IA)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act of 2021
This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to use specified data regarding physician wages and office rent when determining certain geographic adjustment factors for the payment of physician services under Medicare. With respect to such payment, the bill also makes permanent certain minimum adjustments to the work geographic index and extends to all localities certain minimum adjustments to the practice expense index.

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy 
  of geographic adjustment factors under the Medicare program and to 
  permanently extend certain adjustments to such factors for certain 
                  localities, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act 
of 2021''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING THE ACCURACY OF GEOGRAPHIC ADJUSTMENT FACTORS.

    Section 1848(e)(1)(D) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-
4(e)(1)(D)) is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(D) Use of accurate data.--
                            ``(i) In general.--In establishing indices 
                        and index values under this paragraph, the 
                        Secretary shall use the most recent data 
                        available relating to practice expenses, 
                        malpractice expenses, and physician work effort 
                        in each fee schedule area.
                            ``(ii) Practice expense and work indices.--
                        In establishing indices and index values under 
                        clause (i) or (iii) of subparagraph (A), the 
                        Secretary shall--
                                    ``(I) use the most recent market 
                                data available on physician wages, or 
                                if available, actual cost data for 
                                physician labor; and
                                    ``(II) not use nonphysician 
                                professional wage data as a proxy for 
                                physician wage data.
                            ``(iii) Practice expense calculation.--In 
                        calculating index values under clause (i) of 
                        subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall use the 
                        most recent office rent data available or data 
                        from Federally qualified health centers (as 
                        defined in section 1861(aa)(4)) expense 
                        reports.''.

SEC. 3. FLOOR FOR WORK AND PRACTICE EXPENSE GEOGRAPHIC INDICES.

    (a) Work Geographic Index.--Section 1848(e)(1)(E) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(e)(1)(E)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and before January 1, 2024,''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following: ``Any such increase 
        made for purposes of payment for services furnished on or after 
        January 1, 2022, shall not be applied in a budget neutral 
        manner.''.
    (b) Practice Expense Geographic Indices.--Section 1848(e)(1)(I) of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(e)(1)(I)) is amended--
            (1) in the header, by striking ``for services furnished in 
        frontier states'';
            (2) in clause (i), by inserting ``and for purposes of 
        payment for services furnished in any State on or after January 
        1, 2022,'' after ``2011,''; and
            (3) in clause (ii), by inserting ``before January 1, 
        2022,'' after ``furnished''.
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