The Digestive Health Physicians Association (DHPA) has expressed its support for the “Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act” (S. 2764, H.R. 5391). This act was introduced by U.S. Senator John Barrasso, U.S. Representative Mike Burgess, and U.S. Representative Greg Murphy. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 had previously reduced reimbursements for certain Part B drugs, leading to a significant cut in payments to physicians.
This made it challenging for them to provide essential medications to patients with chronic illnesses. Dr. Scott Ketover, the president and board chair of DHPA, highlighted that this could threaten the survival of medical practices, especially smaller ones or those in rural areas. Patients might then have to obtain their medications from costlier hospital settings. The new act aims to be budget-neutral, maintaining current reimbursements to providers. It proposes replacing the ASP payment cut for Part B drugs with a manufacturer rebate, ensuring that patients’ coinsurance is based on the lower, rebated price. Dr. Ketover emphasized the act’s importance in allowing medical practices to offer complex therapies while still saving money for the Medicare program.