Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-3302
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Finkenauer, Abby [D-IA-1]
Introduced: 2019-06-18
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health information and medical records

Health personnel

Medicare

Wages and earnings
Latest action: action_date: 2019-06-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-06-18
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill requires the&nbsp;Centers for Medicare&nbsp;&amp; Medicaid Services to&nbsp;use&nbsp;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&nbsp;certain minimum adjustments to the work geographic&nbsp;index&nbsp;and extends to all localities certain minimum adjustments&nbsp;to the practice expense index. </p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3302 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 18, 2019 Ms. Finkenauer (for herself, Mr. Kind , Mr. Smith of Nebraska , Mr. LaHood , and Ms. Sewell of Alabama ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce , and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act of 2019 . 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. . 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, 2020, ; 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, 2020, 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, 2020, after 2011, ; and (3) in clause (ii), by inserting before January 1, 2020, after furnished .