PEPC appreciates the opportunity to provide input on the proposed rule for the Calendar Year (CY) 2023 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs. In the letter, we focus on steps the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) can take to increase competition in the health care sector, which is associated with lower costs and better patient outcomes, and is essential for independent physicians and practices to survive and thrive.
Specifically, we urge CMS to expand the current site neutral payment policies beyond clinic visits, which would increase patient choice and support independent physicians and practices. Further, PEPC encourages CMS to improve the availability and type of consolidation-related data, including information on the impacts of merger activity on access, quality, and health care disparities, to increase transparency and inform future policy.
To read the full letter, click here.