Murphy Co-Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Access to Physicians in Eastern North Carolina 

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D., alongside GOP Doctors Caucus Co-Chair Congressman John Joyce, M.D., and Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D., Chair of the Democratic Doctors Caucus, introduced the bipartisan Patients First Act - comprehensive Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) reform legislation.

The Patients First Act would greatly benefit Eastern North Carolina by preserving access to primary and specialty care physicians. The legislation strengthens incentives for independent practice and reverses decades of consolidation that have driven up the cost of care, especially in rural and underserved communities.

"As a practicing urologist for more than 30 years, I've seen firsthand the challenges physicians face in keeping their doors open while providing the highest quality care for their patients,"said Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03). "Our current Medicare physician payment system is unsustainable. It has fueled consolidation, increased administrative burdens, and made it harder for independent physicians in rural communities to continue serving the patients who rely on them. The bipartisan Patients First Act delivers long-overdue reforms that strengthen independent practices, invest in primary care, and ensure physicians can spend more time caring for patients instead of navigating bureaucracy. When physicians succeed, patients receive better care, and that's exactly what this legislation is designed to achieve."

Background

• The Patients First Act ties physician reimbursement to an inflationary measure.
   
• Establishes a primary care hybrid payment pilot program that pays primary care physicians a per-member-per-month payment along with regular services, better capturing the work they do.
   
• Establishes the POINTS program, which creates a physician and clinician-led task force at CMS to develop quality metrics that are streamlined and reduce administrative burden.
   
• Freezes A-APM participation thresholds for three years and creates notice and comment periods for CMMI mandatory models.
   
• Increases the budget neutrality threshold from $20 million to $54.3 million.