March 20, 2020
The Honorable Charles Grassley Chairman Finance Committee US Senate Washington, DC 20510 |
The Honorable Ron Wyden Ranking Member Finance Committee US Senate Washington, DC 20510 |
The Honorable Richard Neal Chairman Committee on Ways and Means US House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 |
The Honorable Kevin Brady Ranking Member Committee on Ways and Means US House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 |
The Honorable Frank Pallone Chairman Committee on Energy and Commerce US House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 |
The Honorable Greg Walden Ranking Member Committee on Energy and Commerce US House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 |
Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members:
The undersigned organizations applaud the swift action by Congress on passage of an emergency supplemental spending bill to address the most urgent COVID-19 response needs. While physician practices are doing their best to continue to provide as close as possible to business as usual, physician practices are already feeling the strain of staffing shortages and adjustments to workflow. Physicians are working to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and appreciate the support and regulatory flexibility they have received from Congress and the Administration thus far, including relaxation of elemedicine guidelines, to provide patient care under the safest of possible environments. As you consider other steps to reduce regulatory burden and costs on physician practices, we respectfully request that you suspend further implementation of the Medicare Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) Program for advanced diagnostic imaging.