President Barack Obama Thanks Medical Community for Support of Latest Law Reforming Medicare Physician Pay

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday, David W. Parke II, M.D., CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, joined President Barack Obama in a special reception at the White House Rose Garden to celebrate the enactment of the overwhelmingly bipartisan law, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology was among a select group of organizations invited to the event and recognized by the President as supporters of H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, otherwise known as the "permanent doc fix." President Obama called the Academy and the other supporting organizations in attendance "outstanding advocacy groups."

H.R. 2 repealed the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula used to determine physician reimbursement. Over the last 17 years, the SGR caused annual cuts to physician reimbursement and service disruption. The enactment of H.R. 2 ended more than a decade of instability for physicians who care for seniors and Medicare beneficiaries who feared that SGR could jeopardize their ability to receive continuous care from their physicians of choice.

"The repeal of the antiquated sustainable growth rate formula to determine Medicare physician payment is the outcome of years of tireless advocacy work by the Academy, its members and other like-minded physician groups. I congratulate all who have been involved in advocating for this legislation," said Dr. Parke. "While not perfect, this bill is a meaningful step toward finally achieving stable funding to support continuity of care for a growing population of seniors who rely on long-term, ongoing treatment from their physicians of choice. Lawmakers put aside their party differences to listen and take action to address physicians' concerns. The nation's eye physicians and surgeons are hopeful that our voices will continue to be heard by Washington in the future as we fight for further legislation to improve medical care for our patients."

For more information about today's reception, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/04/21/celebrating-latest-law-improving-health-care-medicare-access-and-chip-reauthorizatio

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology, headquartered in San Francisco, is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons, serving more than 32,000 members worldwide. The Academy's mission is to advance the lifelong learning and professional interests of ophthalmologists to ensure that the public can obtain the best possible eye care. For more information, visit www.aao.org. 

The Academy is also a leading provider of eye care information to the public. The Academy's EyeSmart® program educates the public about the importance of eye health and empowers them to preserve healthy vision. EyeSmart provides the most trusted and medically accurate information about eye diseases, conditions and injuries. OjosSanos™ is the Spanish-language version of the program. Visit www.geteyesmart.org or www.ojossanos.org to learn more.

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SOURCE American Academy of Ophthalmology

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