The Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) submitted comments late today on CMS’ Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule.

In a letter to CMS Administrator Seem Verma, FAH wrote, “It is imperative that providers focus on the care and well-being of their patients without unnecessary regulatory burden getting in the way…we appreciate CMS identifying a number of areas where policies can be updated, and burden reduced. However, we do have significant concerns with a number of CMS’s proposed policies including the proposal to collapse the payment rates for E/M visit codes.”

Rising and excessive drug prices threaten patient access to the drugs they need and can undermine the care physicians see as necessary for patients. The Grassley-Durbin amendment (#3787) would take a great leap forward in providing consumers useful information on drug prices that could help them buy smart. And, the public display of prices could put a spotlight on those high prices and bring them down.