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This week, Representatives John Joyce, MD (R-PA-13), Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC-3), and Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA-8) introduced the Patients First Act, legislation that would reform the Medicare payment system.
Legislation to reform and improve the Medicare payment system has been a priority for the ASA. The current system is unsustainable and has failed to keep pace with record inflation, high practice costs, and the lingering impacts of COVID-19. The Patients First Act would require an annual physician payment update to physician payments based on the Medicare Economic Index, minus one percentage point. This bill would also modernize CMS’s budget neutrality requirements and establish a mechanism to correct inaccurate CMS utilization estimates which have historically disadvantaged payments for anesthesia, critical care and pain medicine services.
Other provisions in this bill would replace the Merit-based Incentive Payment System with a new performance program, preserve low-volume exemptions, support a physician-led quality process for developing quality measures, and maintain the role of ASA’s National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR).
Representatives Joyce and Murphy serve as co-chairs of the GOP Doctors Caucus, while Representative Schrier chairs the Democratic Doctors Caucus. The bill has garnered bipartisan support, with 20 additional lawmakers cosponsoring the legislation.
ASA looks forward to working with lawmakers to make additional improvements to this legislation.
Date of last update: July 17, 2026
You do not have to make a payment at this time, but you can reach out to your practice/group leader to find out when they plan to pay your dues. Email or call the ASA Support team for assistance: (630) 912-2552 or [email protected].
