Category: Our News

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a new report examining the extent and effects of physician consolidation. The report confirms that consolidation among hospitals, insurers, and private equity firms is associated with higher costs for patients and Medicare without clear evidence of better quality, while also raising concerns about competition and access. GAO also …

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PEPC appreciates the opportunity to provide input on the proposed rule for the Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs. As outlined in the letter, our comments advocate for payment parity between physician offices and hospital outpatient departments as one way to level the …

Continue reading “PEPC Submits Comment Letter in Response to CY2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs.”

PEPC was pleased to provide comments to CMS and ASTP in response to the Request for Information (RFI) on the Health Technology Ecosystem. Health technology plays an essential role in supporting health care providers in value-based care arrangements. Small and independent practices are more resource constrained and struggle to develop the data infrastructure and associated …

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PEPC joined 24 physician and health care associations and more than 550 accountable care organizations (ACOs), health systems, hospitals, physician practices, health clinics, and accountable care stakeholders in urging Congress to support continued investment in Medicare’s transition to advanced APMs that take on accountability for costs and outcomes of their patient populations. Read the letter here.

PEPC responded to a public inquiry from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force. Our comments focus on considerations for the Task Force as it considers opportunities to reduce burden and make it easier for physicians to provide higher-quality, lower-cost health care including physician payment policies, information blocking, quality reporting and anti-competitive contracting. …

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The Partnership to Empower Physician-Led Care (PEPC) applauds the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center (CMMI) for its commitment to ensuring that value-based care is a path to sustainability for independent practices and physicians in its new strategic direction to Make America Healthy Again. Evaluations of past and current CMMI models clearly demonstrate …

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PEPC sent a letter to CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz congratulating him on his new leadership role at CMS. PEPC looks forward to working with Administrator Oz to strengthen our health care system by promoting physician-led payment models and robust provider competition through innovation in key areas such as new payment structures and arrangements, burden reduction, …

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PEPC joined stakeholders in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee and House Energy & Commerce Committee leadership urging Congress to develop bipartisan policy solutions that strengthen Medicaid while rejecting proposals that would destabilize primary care and the Medicaid funding which sustains many practices. Reducing federal support for Medicaid not only places policy innovations at …

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The Partnership to Empower Physician-Led Care (PEPC) has long advocated for payment parity between physician offices and hospital outpatient departments as one way to level the playing field for independent physicians. Site specific payment policies drive consolidation, higher costs for Medicare and further stacks the deck against independent physicians and practices. That is why we …

Continue reading “PEPC Statement on Hassan/Cassidy Site Neutral Framework”

PEPC appreciates the opportunity to provide input on the proposed Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) rule. As outlined in the letter, our comments specifically focus how select provisions of the proposed rule will impact health care competition and value-based care opportunities for independent physicians. As many value-based care models continue to be …

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