AOA responds to Senate Finance Committee hearing on rural health care

On May 16, the AOA provided a statement for the record to the Senate Finance Committee, emphasizing the critical issues impacting rural health care, including:

Serving patients in rural communities
Practice sustainability and physician payment
Innovation and expanding payment models predicated upon delivering high-quality care
Access improvement through telehealth and more

The statement calls for the support of several policies and legislation that improves rural health care, including the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (S. 1302) and the Rural Physician Workforce Production Act (H.R. 834), both of which aim to increase residency positions and financial support for rural hospitals. Additionally, the statement called for sustainable physician payment models, highlighting the detrimental impact of recent Medicare payment cuts. One solution is the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 2474), which provides a stable, predictable payment update. The statement expands telehealth services and calls for the permanent extension of telehealth flexibilities.

Be sure to read the full statement for the record to learn more about how the AOA continues to represent you and the patients you serve.