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A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), urging the agency to consider new payment policies for urgent care centers in future Physician Fee Schedules. The gist is that CMS previously asked for information on how urgent care centers address capacity issues in emergency departments, then followed up by asking for comments on whether separate coding and payment is needed for evaluation and management (E/M) visits delivered at urgent care centers. The overarching theme highlights the fact that urgent care can improve system capacity. “This letter reflects growing bipartisan recognition that Urgent Care is essential to improving access and lowering costs,” Steve Sellars, CEO of the Urgent Care Association, said in a press release.
The value of urgent care: The 19 lawmakers—including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise—who signed the letter are looking for policy changes that would help ensure Medicare and Medicaid enrollees have appropriate urgent care access as an alternative to emergency department use. While they didn’t specify what policies that want to see created, the tone of the letter suggests that they believe urgent care should be paid more for E/M visits.