Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act of 2019”.
Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act of 2019
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the accuracy of geographic adjustment factors under the Medicare program and to permanently extend certain adjustments to such factors for certain localities, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Improving the accuracy of geographic adjustment factors
Section 1848(e)(1)(D) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4(e)(1)(D)) is amended to read as follows:
“(D) Use of accurate data
“(i) In general—In establishing indices and index values under this paragraph, the Secretary shall use the most recent data available relating to practice expenses, malpractice expenses, and physician work effort in each fee schedule area.
“(ii) Practice expense and work indices—In establishing indices and index values under clause (i) or (iii) of subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall—
“(I) use the most recent market data available on physician wages, or if available, actual cost data for physician labor; and
“(II) not use nonphysician professional wage data as a proxy for physician wage data.
“(iii) Practice expense calculation—In calculating index values under clause (i) of subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall use the most recent office rent data available or data from Federally qualified health centers (as defined in section 1861(aa)(4)) expense reports.”
Sec. 3 Floor for work and practice expense geographic indices
Work geographic index— Section 1848(e)(1)(E) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4(e)(1)(E)) is amended—
by striking “and before January 1, 2020,”; and
by adding at the end the following: “Any such increase made for purposes of payment for services furnished on or after January 1, 2020, shall not be applied in a budget neutral manner.”.
Practice expense geographic indices— Section 1848(e)(1)(I) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4(e)(1)(I)) is amended—
in the header, by striking “for services furnished in frontier states”;
in clause (i), by inserting “and for purposes of payment for services furnished in any State on or after January 1, 2020,” after “2011,”; and
in clause (ii), by inserting “before January 1, 2020,” after “furnished”.