House Panel to Examine Major Medicare Physician Payment Reforms

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a legislative hearing on September 15 examining proposals to reform Medicare physician payment and strengthen healthcare cybersecurity. (HRA submitted testimony for the hearing.)

Among the measures under consideration are two bills supported by Heart Rhythm Advocates: the Patients First Act of 2026 (H.R. 9693) and the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act of 2026 (H.R. 8163).

The Patients First Act would establish more predictable annual Medicare payment updates tied to practice-cost inflation, raise the threshold that triggers budget-neutrality adjustments and replace the Merit-based Incentive Payment System with a streamlined, physician-led quality program. This legislation is a priority for HRA, and we encourage you to write your legislators in support of the bill.

The Provider Reimbursement Stability Act would separately reform Medicare’s budget-neutrality policies and reduce the frequency and severity of unexpected payment reductions.

Both proposals address longstanding concerns for electrophysiologists and other specialists whose practices face rising staffing, technology and equipment costs without corresponding increases in Medicare reimbursement.

The subcommittee will also examine several related proposals with potential implications for heart-rhythm care. These include legislation to replace MIPS with a new claims-based performance-payment system and a bill establishing facility payments for certain high-supply-cost procedures performed in qualified office-based settings. Another proposal would revive Medicare appropriate-use requirements for advanced diagnostic imaging, potentially creating new administrative obligations for physicians ordering cardiac CT, MRI or nuclear imaging.

The September 15 meeting is a legislative hearing, not a markup. Members will hear testimony and discuss the proposals, but the subcommittee is not scheduled to amend or vote on the bills. The hearing nevertheless represents meaningful progress by placing comprehensive physician-payment reform on the committee’s active agenda.

It remains unlikely that H.R. 9693 will pass as a stand-alone bill this year. The hearing may instead help committee leaders identify provisions that can attract bipartisan support and ultimately be included in a larger Medicare or year-end legislative package.

HRA will continue urging Congress to provide physicians with stable, predictable Medicare payments that reflect the actual cost of delivering care. These issues will also be central to HRA’s September Fly-In, when heart-rhythm professionals from across the country will meet with lawmakers and congressional staff in Washington.