Medicare group urges 1% raise for physicians

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), an independent counsel that advises the U.S. Congress on Medicare, urged lawmakers to boost physician pay by 1% in 2012, despite a rate cut set to take effect the same year.

In MedPAC's "Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy," the group notes that the raise "will ensure beneficiaries have continued access to [physician] services," according to a statement, but says that it "will not solve the fundamental problem with current Medicare fee-for-service payment systems-that providers are paid more when they deliver more services without regard to the quality or value of those additional services."