The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) provided formal comment regarding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule "Proposed Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Other Part B Payment Policies for CY 2008," which was published July 12, 2007, in the Federal Register.
According to the proposed rule, the scheduled reduction to physician payments is estimated at 10 percent for 2008, with projected cuts totaling 40 percent over the next eight years. During this same period, practice costs for physicians are expected to increase 20 percent.
In its comment the AASM strongly urged CMS to work with Congress and develop a fair and balanced rejoinder that enacts positive physician payments for 2008 and subsequent years and accurately reflects realistic medical practice costs incurred by physicians as indicated by the Medical Economic Index (MEI). Further, the AASM requested CMS and Congress assess the current sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and replace it with a meaningful system that considers the continually increasing costs associated with care provided by physicians to Medicare beneficiaries.
