House subcommittee advances permanent 'doc fix'

The health subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee voted on Tuesday to send to the full committee a (see BioCentury, Feb. 8).

Under the proposed bill, physicians would receive an annual 0.5% bump in payments from Medicare. Starting in 2019, physicians who practice under the traditional fee-for-service model can opt to participate in a program where the payment rate is based on performance, where performance is assessed among peer cohorts who provide like services. High performing providers would be eligible for an annual 1% bonus payment, while low performing providers could see a 1% reduction in payments. The full E&C committee has not yet scheduled a hearing to mark up the bill. ...