The Energy and Commerce Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously confirmed legislation that includes a repeal of the 25% payment cut to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule that is mandated by the Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR).
HR 6, or the 21st Century Cures Act, is intended to facilitate the discovery, development, and delivery of new medical treatments to patients, according to the legislation's text.
The bill is long overdue, according to the American College of Radiology (ACR).
"The college and its members have long advocated for a repeal of this severely flawed policy," ACR said in a statement. "Most recently, as part of the ACR 2015 meeting, more than 600 radiologists protested the professional component MPPR during May 20 Capitol Hill day visits with their members of Congress."
Other House committees, including the Ways and Means Committee, which share jurisdiction over the key provisions of the legislation, have been granted a 30-day window to weigh in on the bill, ACR said. The Senate is not expected to take up the 21st Century Cures initiative until the end of the year.
