Bill > S2122

This bill, titled the "Responsible Medicare SGR Repeal and Beneficiary Access Improvement Act of 2014," aims to repeal the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) and improve payments within both Medicare and Medicaid programs. Key provisions include replacing the SGR with a new payment system for physicians that adjusts payments annually, establishing a Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for eligible professionals starting in 2018 that scores them on quality, resource use, clinical practice improvement, and meaningful EHR use, and providing a 5% incentive payment for eligible professionals who participate in qualifying Alternative Payment Models (APMs) from 2018 to 2023. The bill also includes provisions to encourage care management for individuals with chronic conditions, improve the accuracy of physician fee schedules, promote evidence-based care for imaging services, expand access to Medicare data for qualified entities, reduce administrative burdens, extend funding for various programs including those for low-income individuals, and reform certain aspects of Medicare Advantage plans for special needs individuals. Additionally, it addresses improvements to Medicaid data systems, extends certain Medicare ambulance add-on payments, revises payment adjustments for low-volume hospitals, and includes provisions related to program integrity and fraud reduction.