Doctors' group calls for 'doc fix' in fiscal cliff bill

Congress should permanently repeal Medicare's flawed payment formula as part of a year-end deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff, the Alliance of Specialty Medicine said Monday.

The Alliance said a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff should include a permanent "doc fix." Doctors will see their Medicare payments cut by nearly 30 percent at the end of this year if Congress does not act, although a permanent fix is unlikely. 

 Some congressional Republicans have been angling for a one-year fix by the end of 2012, with or without a deal on the fiscal cliff.

Congress routinely delays the automatic cuts built into Medicare's Sustainable Growth Rate formula. The constant threat of looming cuts is making doctors second-guess their decision to accept Medicare, especially because the cut gets bigger each time Congress delays it, the Alliance said.

"Consequently, beneficiary access to high-quality healthcare will be severely threatened, with longer waits and lengthy travel to see a physician, particularly specialists," the Alliance said in a letter to congressional leaders.

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