Osteopaths Speak Out

Osteopaths also urge lawmakers to fix Medicare physician reimbursement.
CQ Today (10/23, Ethridge) reported, "The American Osteopathic Association added its voice to a chorus of doctor groups urging that Congress take immediate action to avoid scheduled cuts in Medicare physician payments starting Dec. 1, and warning that further short-term fixes are unacceptable." The group's president Karen J. Nichols wrote, "We believe that it is absolutely essential that the provisions enacted by Congress ensure that this policy is dealt with, at minimum, on an annual basis, versus the 30-day or 60-day pattern that has existed over the past year." Notably, "lawmakers have enacted several short-term patches to stave off the cuts this year, the most recent of which...will expire Nov. 30," yet physician groups, in particular the American Medical Association, "say those are not sufficient to keep their members participating in government programs."