CarePoint Health’s Grace Nassim Visits Washington, D.C., to Advocate for Legislation Aimed at Addressing Physician Fees, Resident Shortages

CarePoint Health Hospital Medicine physician and American College of Physicians (ACP) member Grace Nassim, MD, MPH, was in Washington, D.C., May 14-15 advocating for several bills related to physician fees and resident shortages.

Dr. Nassim, along with her fellow ACP members, showed their support for three bills — all of which were introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last year — while in the nation’s capitol:

• H.R.2630 - Safe Step Act, sponsored by Ohio Congressman Brad Wenstrup: This bill would “remove unreasonable barriers to patient care and reduce administrative burden for physicians by reforming step-therapy protocols,” according to ACP. By minimizing the administrative load, physicians would be able to provide more impactful care to their patients, Dr. Nassim said.
• H.R.2389 - Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, sponsored by Alabama Congresswoman Terri Sewell: This bill would help “combat the nation’s physician shortage and improve access to healthcare by expanding the number of Medicare-supported medical residency positions by 14,000 over seven years,” according to a press release issued by Sewell’s office. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the U.S. faces a projected physician shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034. “This critical legislation will give hospitals and healthcare centers the tools they need to improve access to care, lower wait times for patients, and create a pipeline of qualified medical professionals to serve Americans’ health needs,” Sewell said when the legislation was originally introduced.
• H.R.6545 - Physician Fee Schedule Update and Improvements Act, sponsored by Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks: This bill aims to increase the budget neutrality from $20 million to $53 million, which “would allow for greater flexibility in determining pricing adjustments for services without leading to harmful payment cuts for doctors. Because the payment structure is budget neutral, doctors regularly face cuts when certain services receive payment increases,” according to a news release put out by Miller-Meeks’ office. If passed, the legislation would “allow doctors to keep their doors open to underserved and under-resourced patients and ensure our seniors continue to receive the care they deserve,” California Congressman and bill cosponsor Raul Ruiz, MD, said.

The passage of these bills would mark a significant victory for both physicians and patients, said Dr. Nassim, who is a full-time hospitalist at Wesley Medical Center and a locum hospitalist at the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, both in Wichita, KS.

While in Washington, D.C., Dr. Nassim also met the Kansas representatives and senators who are cosponsoring the bills: Congressman Tracey Mann (Safe Step Act and Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act), Congressman Jake LaTurner (Safe Step Act), Congresswoman Sharice Davids (Safe Step Act and Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act), Congressman Ron Estes (Physician Fee Schedule Update and Improvements Act), Senator Jerry Moran (Safe Step Act), and Senator Roger Marshall (Safe Step Act).

As far as next steps go, Dr. Nassim said she and her fellow ACP members will contact members of Congress and maintain ongoing communication, urging them to take action on the pending legislation. This follow-up process also helps lay the groundwork for future legislation, she said.

Dr. Nassim has been with CarePoint since September 2022. She went to medical school at the University of Balamand in Beirut, Lebanon, and completed an Internal Medicine residency and a Masters Degree in Public Health Management at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

We’re extremely proud of and thankful for all our clinicians at Wesley and the life-changing work they do each and every day.