AANP President Testifies before Energy & Commerce Committee on SGR

On Thursday, January 22, AANP President Ken Miller, PhD, RN, CFNP, FAAN, FAANP, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health, reaffirming AANP's support of the "SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014" (H.R. 4015) proposed in the last Congress.

The bill would permanently repeal the flawed "sustainable growth rate" (SGR) formula for Medicare Part B, eliminating serious cuts in reimbursement that would have grave consequences for both Medicare recipients and providers, such as nurse practitioners. In addition, the bill would further reform the Medicare Payment System for all Part B providers, including NPs. It includes NPs in the first year of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and ensures that nurse practitioner-led Patient Centered Medical Homes are eligible to receive incentive payments for the management of patients with chronic disease. "By utilizing provider neutral language and including proposals that reflect the full partnership of nurse practitioners in the Medicare Program, this bill better ensures the unobstructed delivery of the high-quality, cost-efficient health care services that our seniors need," said Dr. Miller. A recording of the hearing can be found here.

AANP will continue to engage Congress on the need to repeal the SGR and the need to reform Medicare to reduce federal barriers of practice for nurse practitioners.

Source: AANP Governmental Affairs Update