APTQI Supports Legislation to Repeal MPPR Policy to Protect Patient Access to Therapy Services

APTQI supports the Removing Excessive Cuts to Outpatient and Vital Essential Rehabilitation (RECOVER) Act, legislation to repeal Medicare’s outdated Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) policy. Introduced by Representative Deborah Ross (NC-02), the RECOVER Act (H.R. 8386) updates a Medicare payment policy that unfairly targets physical and occupational therapy providers and restricts access to critical outpatient therapy services nationwide.

The bill’s introduction follows a March comment letter from leading healthcare organizations—including APTQI—to the Senate Finance Committee urging Congress to repeal the MPPR policy.

Originally implemented in 2011 as a temporary budgetary measure, MPPR reduces reimbursement for therapy services when multiple procedures are provided to the same patient on the same day. Under the policy, the first service is reimbursed at 100% of the practice expense, while all subsequent services are subject to a 50% reduction – despite the practice expense component representing nearly half of a service’s total value. According to the stakeholder letter, MPPR is based on arbitrary assumptions rather than real-world data and fails to reflect how therapy services are delivered today.

Notably, MPPR also applies across therapy disciplines when services are delivered on the same day. This means that even when different providers deliver separate, clinically appropriate services using different equipment and supplies, reimbursement is still reduced. “This occurs even though the equipment, clinical staff, and supplies used for one therapy discipline’s session have no overlap with those used for another discipline’s session,” the coalition letter explains.

The letter further notes that MPPR disproportionately impacts patients in rural and underserved communities, where receiving multiple services in a single visit can reduce transportation challenges and improve access to care. At the same time, the policy adds to ongoing financial pressures on providers, including recent payment cuts, putting patient access at risk.

APTQI urges lawmakers in Congress to support and cosponsor the RECOVER Act to better align Medicare payment with value-based care goals and ensure patients can access the comprehensive rehabilitation services they need.

To read the full comment letter, CLICK HERE.

To learn more about H.R. 8386, CLICK HERE.