Conceding that Congress “…has received a large amount of feedback” since including in a 2015 law a provision that compels Medicare to pay for outpatient care on a site-neutral basis, the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its Health Subcommittee have invited members of the health care community “…to provide feedback to the Committee related to the enactment of Section 603 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.”

While noting the differences between Medicare outpatient payments for services provide in hospital-based facilities, private doctors’ offices, and other sites and pointing out that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) had urged Congress to address this issue, the committee noted in its invitation letter that many have objected to the new policy and suggested numerous changes and exceptions to the new Medicare outpatient payment policy.

For this reason, the committee is inviting comments on site-neutral Medicare outpatient payments and will accept such comments in writing until February 19.

The National Association of Urban Hospitals opposes the site-neutral payment policy and intends to write to the committee to express its views.

Go here to see the committee’s letter about this issue.