On Capitol Hill, ASNC Members Push for Reforms to Physician Payment and Prior Authorization

ASNC Members on Capitol Hill. From left: William A. Van Decker, MD, MASNC, Nishant Shah, MD, MPH, MS, FASNC, Renée Bullock-Palmer, MD, FASNC, Vikas Veeranna, MD, Dinesh Kalra, MD, and Jamieson M. Bourque, MD, MHS, FASNC

ASNC leaders participated in the American College of Cardiology 2025 Legislative Conference and held a series of meetings with their congressional delegations. They focused on issues of critical importance for the care of cardiovascular patients, amplifying key messages from ASNC’s 40+ Capitol Hill meetings and congressional briefing in June of this year.

Physician Payment Reform

Legislative Conference attendees emphasized the critical need for physician payment reform and the importance of providing inflationary updates following years of declining reimbursement while the costs of running a practice have steadily risen.

Streamlining Prior Authorization Practices

They also urged congressional representatives to cosponsor the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 (H.R. 3514 | S. 1816), which would improve prior authorization processes in Medicare Advantage plans by codifying regulatory action by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently reported that Medicare Advantage plans ultimately approve 75 percent of requests that were originally denied, underscoring that most prior authorization delays critical care.

More Capitol Hill Visits Coming! ASNC is planning to host another Capitol Hill Fly-in and congressional briefing in the spring of 2026. Stay tuned for details on how you can participate.

Policy Priorities