Legislative Advocacy Agenda

Coverage and Reimbursement

Medicare Payment Reform

• Request that members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction include in their proposal to Congress a permanent repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate formula for Medicare physician payments. A new payment model should reward providers for patient outcomes based on risk-adjusted quality outcomes data and the efficient use of limited resources.

 Five-Year Review

• Seek final acceptance of RUC-recommended RVUs from the 5-Year Review of RVUs under the Physician Fee Schedule.
  • Until CMS establishes accepted methodologies other than the American Medical Association/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) to determine values, STS strongly encourages CMS to align its decisions with the concerted, informed, and evidence-based efforts of the RUC and the specialty societies representing physicians who perform the procedures.

Patient Advocacy

Lung Cancer Research

• Seek cosponsorship support for the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2011
  • S. 752 sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John Kerry (D-MA), and Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
  • H.R. 1394 sponsored by Reps. Donna Christensen (D-VI) and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)