Rep. Jim McDermott, MD, (D-Wash.) has proposed a bill that would alter Medicare fees for physicians by creating a panel of independent experts to watch over the Relative Value Scale Update Committee, according to a report from The Hill.
Currently, CMS accepts the "vast majority" of price recommendations made by the RUC, but Rep. McDermott claims those recommendations are biased. He said the committee, which is comprised of members appointed by the American Medical Association, is "unevenly weighted by procedural specialists over primary care doctors and relies heavily on anecdotal and self-serving survey evidence," according to the report.
Under the bill, the newly created panel overseeing the RUC would review all work of its work, hold open meetings, publish minutes and include patient representatives, according to the report.
The AMA has said discrepancies in Medicare pay to primary care physicians and specialists are not the RUC's fault, according to the report, and any attempt to disempower the panel will hurt needed specialists.
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