THE SOCIETY OF THORACIC SURGEONS

Expanding graduate medical education (GME) opportunities: H.R.2389/S.1302, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, would increase the number of residency positions eligible for GME payments under Medicare. H.R. 1202 / S. 704, the Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) would permit a pause on student loan interest accrual and principal loan repayment for the duration of medical residency and fellowships. H.R. 2761 / S. 705, the Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care (SPARC) Act, creates a loan repayment program to encourage specialty medicine physicians to serve in underserved, rural communities. Encouraged the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to support of the Pediatric Specialty Loan Repayment Program (PSLRP, Public Health Service Act Sec. 775) and request $30 million in funding for PSLRP in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

H.R. 4534 / S. 2245, Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventative Services Act, would provide additional funding for prevention and treatment of lung cancer in women, particularly non-smokers. H.R. 7189 / S. 3757, Congenital Hearts Futures Reauthorization Act, reauthorizes national congenital heart disease research, surveillance, and awareness program to Fiscal Year 2029. H.R. 3226 / S. 1573, The Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) reauthorization Act, reauthorize, through fiscal year 2028 research programs for preventing premature births. Gun violence research; Encouraged the House and Senate Appropriations Committee to provide $35 million for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), $25 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and $1 million for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to conduct public health research into firearm morbidity and mortality prevention. Funding research in Defense Appropriations; We encouraged continued support for the critical and highly successful Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the Department of Defense(DoD).

Medicare Physician Payments; H.R. 2474, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act, creates a single conversion factor for all physicians for physician payments through Medicare and increased payments based on the Medicare Economic Index every year. Furthermore, we delivered comments to the Senate Finance Committee regarding their white paper Bolstering Chronic Care through Physician Payment: Current Challenges and Policy Options in Medicare Part B. We urged the Committee to provide physicians with much needed fiscal stability by requiring CMS to provide an annual inflation-based payment update based on the full MEI. H.R. 6371, the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act, provides certain adjustments to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Secure reasonable clinician-led clinical database access to federal health plan claims data. Support for a national coverage determination for Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement (TTVR) therapy. Lung Cancer Screening; H.R. 4286, the Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act, provides for coverage without prior authorization requirements of annual lung cancer screenings under Medicaid and expands coverage of counseling and pharmaceuticals for tobacco cessation. Access to Care: H.R. 4758 / S. 2372, the Accelerating Kid's Access to Care Act would establish a voluntary pathway for qualified providers providing specialized care to children that is not available locally to enroll in other states' Medicaid of CHIP programs without delay.

Telehealth: H.R. 4189 / S.2016, the CONNECT for Health Act, would remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expand originating sites to include the home and other sites. Access to AEDS: H.R. 2370 / S. 1024, the Access to AEDs Act, would require the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to promote student access to defibrillation in elementary and secondary schools. Preventative Health: H.R. 766 / S. 114, the Preventative Health Savings Act, would require the Congressional Budget Office, upon receipt of a request from congress, to determine if proposed legislation would reduce spending outside of the 10-year budget window through the use of preventative health services. Workplace Safety: H.R. 1202 / S. 2768, The Secure and Violence-Free Environments (SAVE) Act, would make it new a criminal offense for knowingly assaulting or intimidating hospital personnel during the performance of their official duties.

Workforce: H.R. 731 / S. 220 the Workforce Mobility Act, which addresses issues relating to using non-compete agreements in employment contracts for certain non-exempt employees. H.R. 4942 / S.665 the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act, waives requirements for foreign physicians to reside for two years abroad after training in exchange for serving in an underserved area. H.R. 6205 / S. 3211, the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, would recapture unused immigrant visas. H.R. 7153/S. 3679, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, would ensure continued funding for programs that address physician burnout and wellness.