Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill led a bipartisan coalition of 11 attorneys general in urging the federal government to improve how Medicare pays for outpatient therapy services.

In a letter to CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, the coalition supports a request for clearer rules on how a payment reduction for multiple therapy services is applied. The attorneys general say the current system can sometimes group together different types of therapy in a way that doesn’t reflect how care is actually delivered, which may result in underpayment to therapy providers for their services and expenses.

The attorneys general are also concerned this approach could make it harder for patients—especially in rural areas—to access therapy services, where providers are already limited.

The group is asking CMS to take another look at the policy during its upcoming rulemaking process and ensure payment rules better match real-world care and costs.

This initiative is aimed at ensuring quality, affordable, and accessible outpatient therapy services for residents, especially in Louisiana’s rural communities, while highlighting the need for greater accountability and transparency from CMS in implementing the Statutory Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction mandate.

In addition to Attorney General Murrill, the attorneys general of Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Vermont joined in support of the petition for rulemaking.

Read the letter here.

Read the petition for rulemaking here.