October 26, 2023: MGMA expresses support of SURS Extension Act

October 26, 2023 

Dear Representative Stansbury and Representative Burgess,

We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our strong support for the SURS Extension Act. This legislation renews an important technical assistance program known as the Quality Payment Program Small Underserved, and Rural Support (QPP-SURS) program, which provided support to practices who participate in Medicare value-based payment initiatives, and we strongly urge its swift passage by Congress.

As you know, the widely bipartisan Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) established the Quality Payment Program and the QPP-SURS program, which provided direct assistance to eligible clinicians required to participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). This assistance is critical to ensure that small practices in rural and underserved areas have the support and tools necessary to succeed in the MIPS program. However, after five years of support, QPP-SURS ended on February 15, 2022, leaving clinicians without a direct technical assistance program to help them navigate continuously changing regulations in the remaining years and increasing performance thresholds of the QPP. Removing this critical infrastructure support further exacerbates disparities in communities already facing limited access to high-quality health care.
 

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