August 3, 2020
The Honorable Seema Verma
Administrator
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20201
Re: Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payment Program
Dear Administrator Verma:
The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) respectfully requests that you delay and modify repayment obligations for loans under the Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payment Program (APP), as the repayment process is scheduled to begin soon.
On behalf of our member medical group practices, we appreciate that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) worked quickly to provide APP loans to physicians who needed financial assistance following the program’s expansion through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. After expanding this temporary loan program on March 28, 2020, CMS expeditiously issued payments to successful applicants, often within one week. We have heard from our members that financial assistance efforts, such as the APP, have allowed them to stay open to their patients despite facing steep declines in revenue and increased expenses due to COVID-19. However, we are also hearing significant concerns about the ability of physician practices to repay APP loans.