Advocacy is one of the three pillars of ASRA Pain Medicine's mission. ASRA Pain Medicine addresses this core purpose by advocating at the regulatory level in the best interest of our members and the patients they serve. (Note: ASRA Pain Medicine does not participate in political advocacy.)
The Latest Health Policy Updates
ASRA Pain Medicine Signs on to Letter Urging Senate Support of Medicare Reimbursement Reform
The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine is one of 75 health care organizations advocating for a Medicare payment provision that would protect care for senior citizens and promote competition in community-based independent physician practices.
The multidisciplinary coalition of organizations, led by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, signed a June 23rd letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso urging a permanent, annual inflationary update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) as part of the government’s current legislative funding package, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (HR 1). The provision would tie the MPFS to the Medicare Economic Index to help ensure predictable annual reimbursement levels.
Nearly half of all Medicare beneficiaries receive care from clinician-led practices, many of them in rural areas with limited access, and the number of independent physicians and rural medical practices are declining. Stagnant or declining reimbursement rates contribute to this trend, further reducing patient access and “forcing patients to travel long distances, leave their communities, or wait until their health deteriorates into an emergency that’s harder and more expensive to recover from,” the letter reads.
Reimbursement rates also impact the increased consolidation of health organizations and concentration of market power that threaten community-based practices, according to the letter. The coalition also urges Senators Thune and Barrasso to continue to stand up and build upon the Medicare Payment Reform Working Group, a bipartisan Senate effort formed in February 2024 designed to develop broader reforms.
The legislation package passed the House on May 22, and GOP leaders hope to finalize it by the July 4th holiday.
Read the letter.
Read More
ASRA Pain Medicine Signs on to Letter Urging Senate Support of Medicare Reimbursement Reform
The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine is one of 75 health care organizations advocating for a Medicare payment provision that would protect care for senior citizens and promote competition in community-based independent physician practices.
The multidisciplinary coalition of organizations, led by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, signed a June 23rd letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso urging a permanent, annual inflationary update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) as part of the government’s current legislative funding package, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (HR 1). The provision would tie the MPFS to the Medicare Economic Index to help ensure predictable annual reimbursement levels.
Nearly half of all Medicare beneficiaries receive care from clinician-led practices, many of them in rural areas with limited access, and the number of independent physicians and rural medical practices are declining. Stagnant or declining reimbursement rates contribute to this trend, further reducing patient access and “forcing patients to travel long distances, leave their communities, or wait until their health deteriorates into an emergency that’s harder and more expensive to recover from,” the letter reads.
Reimbursement rates also impact the increased consolidation of health organizations and concentration of market power that threaten community-based practices, according to the letter. The coalition also urges Senators Thune and Barrasso to continue to stand up and build upon the Medicare Payment Reform Working Group, a bipartisan Senate effort formed in February 2024 designed to develop broader reforms.
The legislation package passed the House on May 22, and GOP leaders hope to finalize it by the July 4th holiday.
Read the letter.
Pain Medicine Coalition
ASRA Pain Medicine and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) established the Pain Medicine Coalition (PMC) in 2024 to advance the common goals of the pain medicine community and to advocate for responsible pain care for all patients. The International Pain & Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS) and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) are also members of the coalition. Its purpose is to develop, monitor, and advocate for responsible health care policy for people who experience both acute and chronic pain and the physicians who support them. They do their work through clinical care, education addressing quality of care, access to care, public and professional education, and research.
Read more about the Pain Medicine Coalition:
ASA and ASRA Pain Medicine: Speaking With One Voice
President’s Message: The Power of ASRA Pain Medicine Volunteers
Are You a Member of AMA?
The American Medical Association (AMA) is the nation's largest physician organization and works to advocate for key issues that matter in your practice such as prior authorization, Medicare reform, promoting physician-led work, and more. ASRA Pain Medicine works with the AMA to advocate for the issues that matter in your practice with representation in the AMA House of Delegates, the Relative Value Scale Update Committee, and the Current Procedural Terminology Committees. ASRA Pain Medicine provides expert information and testimony specific to regional anesthesia and acute and chronic pain.
Learn more about the benefits of membership in AMA.
Read the latest AMA news and sign up for news alerts at ama-assn.org.
Practice Management
Find more health policy information in our Practice Management Resource Center.