SHM's Letters to Policymakers

SHM joined nearly 200 organizations urging Congress to pass the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act before the end of the 117th Congressional session.

SHM fully supports the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association's call for an emergency declaration to support and bolster the national response to the alarming surge of pediatric hospitalizations.

SHM joined a multi-stakeholder letter urging the inclusion of the PASTEAUR Act into an end of year package. This legislation will help address the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance.

SHM has submitted comments on a wide-ranging RFI, commenting on issues like health equity, prior authorization, telehealth expansion, and more.

SHM has submitted comments on a Congressional Request for Information (RFI) seeking feedback on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).

SHM submitted comments to the FDA regarding pulse oximetry device's inaccurate readings on patients with darker skin pigmentation.

SHM, alongside dozens of other medical and specialty societies, has signed a letter to Congressional leadership urging Congress to establish a permanent Medicare payment system.

SHM has submitted comments on the 2023 PFS Proposed Rule. SHM commented on various proposals including, but not limited to, telehealth, split (or shared) billing, code valuations, and the Quality Payment Program.

Prior authorization requirements under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans often result in unnecessary delays or denials in medically necessary care. SHM has submitted comments to CMS to encourage the agency to standardize and streamline the prior authorization process.

In light of the Supreme Court's decision on Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health System, SHM, alongside 74 other medical and specialty societies, oppose legislative interference into the physician-patient relationship.

SHM submitted comments on the quality and performance measurement provisions of the 2023 IPPS proposed rule and responded to a Request for Information on measuring healthcare disparities.

SHM joins over 100 medical societies and patient advocacy groups supporting the inclusion of the "Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act" to the broader "Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act."

SHM joined the AMA and other medical specialty societies, urging CMS to rescind the new policy on split (or shared) billing.

SHM sent a letter to CMS on the new split (or shared) billing policy. This policy will be extremely disruptive to team-based care and is not reflective of the realities of hospitalist practice.

SHM has joined a multi-stakeholder letter to CMS, urging the agency to halt the implementation of their new split/shared billing policy,

SHM joined a multi-stakeholder letter urging the extension of telehealth flexibilities beyond the expiration of the PHE.

SHM submitted comments on the Prior Authorization for Hospital Transfers RFI. We outlined the importance of increasing transparency and efficiency of the prior authorization process under Medicare Advantage.

SHM supports the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act. This legislation will extend the Hospital at Home waiver for two years after the expiration of the public health emergency.

SHM supports the bicameral resolution that would establish September 17th as National Physician Suicide Awareness Day.

Due to a confluence of factors, providers who bill Medicare are facing steep payment cuts in January 2021. This legislation will help offset these cuts by extending the 2021 Medicare physician payment adjustment of positive 3.75% for an additional year.

SHM supports the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act. This legislation will help protect patients from unnecessary care delays by streamlining and standardizing prior authorization under the Medicare Advantage (MA) program.

SHM sent a letter supporting the passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Act. This legislation represents a first step in addressing the crisis of burnout and mental health struggles amongst health care professionals.

SHM joined a multi-stakeholder letter opposing proposed reductions to military medical billets. These reductions undervalue the service of uniformed medical clinicians.

SHM submitted comments on the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule.

SHM has submitted comments on the Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule. SHM commented on various proposals, including but not limited to, the impending budget cuts, telehealth proposals, and the Quality Payment Program.

SHM sent a letter to Congressional leadership, urging Congress to mitigate the impending 10% payment cuts to Medicare physician payments.

SHM supports the Equal Access to Green cards for Legal Employment Act (EAGLE). This legislation will simplify the employment based immigration system into a "first-come, first-serve" system that does not discriminate based on country of origin.

SHM supports the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act. This legislation will help protect patients from unnecessary care delays by streamlining and standardizing prior authorization under the Medicare Advantage (MA) program.

SHM submitted comments on the 2022 Inpatient Perspective Payment System Rule.

SHM joined a call to action urging for the development of a federal commission to address Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (also known as long-COVID or PASC).

SHM supports the reintroduction of the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act. This legislation will help ensure patients in underserved communities have access to high quality medical care.

SHM supports the reintroduction of the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. This legislation will make days spent in observation count towards Medicare’s three-day stay requirement for skilled nursing facility (SNF) coverage.

SHM supports the reintroduction of the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act. This legislation will recapture 40,000 unused employment-based visas and use them to expedite processing for immigrant doctors and nurses. Converting these visas will alleviate health care staffing shortages during the public health emergency.

SHM joined a multi-stakeholder letter supporting the "Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act." This legislation will expand the physician workforce by gradually raising the number of Medicare-supported GME positions by 2,000 per year for seven years, creating a total of 14,000 new slots.

SHM joined a multi-stakeholder letter to CMS regarding proposals related to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Value Pathway (MVP) proposals. Specifically, the letter urges CMS to ensure changes will help guide quality and care improvements.

SHM sent a letter strongly supporting the confirmation of Vivek Murthy as the Surgeon General.

SHM joined a multi-stakeholder letter with 118 stakeholders urging Senate and House appropriators in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. The letter requests a minimum of $500 million in funding for the Agency for Healthcare and Research and Quality (AHRQ).

SHM supports the reintroduction of the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act. This legislation will eliminate the X-Waiver prescribing requirement for buprenorphine, a lifesaving medication used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD).

SHM joined the AMA and other medical societies in their support of the "Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act." This legislation will extend the Congressional moratorium on Medicare sequester cuts through the duration of the public health emergency (PHE).

SHM joined a multi-stakeholder letter urging Congress to expand access to buprenorphine. The letter urged Congress to include legislation to address the opioid epidemic in the upcoming COVID relief package.

SHM and other stakeholders sent a letter to Congressional leaders, urging for the elimination of the X-waiver. Eliminating the X-waiver will expand access to buprenorphine, a lifesaving treatment for opioid-use disorder (OUD).

SHM joined a multi-stakeholder letter urging the Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to finalize guidelines that would expand access to buprenorphine.