In a February 25 letter to congressional leaders, ASTRO and nearly 100 physician and health professional organizations asked Congress to take action to ensure the Medicare physician payment system provides continued beneficiary access to care. The letter seeks hearings and formal proceedings to examine significant payment cuts and the Quality Payment Program (QPP), including issues with the Merit-based Incentive Payment System and Alternative Payment Models.

The inherent instability of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, coupled with the shortcomings of QPP, has created an environment where many practices have seen their payments decrease year-over-year, despite increasing costs and growing inflation, the letter notes.