Today the House passed legislation that would permanently reform the broken Medicare physician payment system.  The "Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act" (H.R. 3961) passed by a vote of 243-183.  The bill repeals a 21 percent fee reduction scheduled for January 2010, and replaces the physician payment formula with a more stable system that ends the unrealistic cycle of threats of ever-larger fee cuts followed by short-term patches.  The bill also includes statutory PAYGO legislation.

The Subcommittee on Energy and Environment will hold a hearing titled, "Impacts of H.R. 3795, the Over-the-Counter Derivatives Markets Act of 2009, on Energy Markets," on Wednesday, December 2, 2009, in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building.  The hearing will examine the unintended impacts of H.R. 3795 which was recently reported by the House Agriculture Committee.

AMDA
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery
American Academy of Dermatology Association
American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
American Academy of Neurology Professional Association
American Academy of Ophthalmology
American Academy of Pain Medicine
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
American Association of Clinical Urologists
American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine
American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
American College of Cardiology
American College of Chest Physicians
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Gastroenterology
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Osteopathic Internists
American College of Osteopathic Surgeons
American College of Physicians
American College of Radiation Oncology
American College of Radiology
American College of Rheumatology
American College of Surgeons
American Gastroenterological Association
American Geriatrics Society
American Medical Association
American Medical Group Association
American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics
American Osteopathic Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Society for Clinical Pathology
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
American Society for Radiation Oncology
American Society for Reproductive Medicine
American Society for Surgery of the Hand
American Society of Addiction Medicine
American Society of Anesthesiologists
American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
American Society of Clinical Oncology
American Society of Hematology
American Society of Nephrology
American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
American Society of Transplant Surgeons
American Thoracic Society
American Urological Association
Association of American Medical Colleges
College of American Pathologists
Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists
Emergency Department Practice Management Association
Heart Rhythm Society
Infectious Diseases Society of America
International Society for Clinical Densitometry
International Spine Intervention Society
Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Medical Group Management Association
National Medical Association
Renal Physicians Association
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Society for Vascular Surgery
Society of Critical Care Medicine
Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons
Society of Gynecologic Oncologists
Society of Hospital Medicine
Society of Interventional Radiology
The Endocrine Society
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Medical Association of the State of Alabama
Arizona Medical Association
Arkansas Medical Society
California Medical Association
Colorado Medical Society
Connecticut State Medical Society
Medical Society of Delaware
Medical Society of the District of Columbia
Florida Medical Association Inc
Medical Association of Georgia
Hawaii Medical Association
Idaho Medical Association
Illinois State Medical Society
Indiana State Medical Association
Iowa Medical Society
Kansas Medical Society
Kentucky Medical Association
Louisiana State Medical Society
Maine Medical Association
MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society
Massachusetts Medical Society
Michigan State Medical Society
Minnesota Medical Association
Mississippi State Medical Association
Missouri State Medical Association
Montana Medical Association
Nebraska Medical Association
Nevada State Medical Association
New Hampshire Medical Society
New Mexico Medical Society
Medical Society of the State of New York
North Carolina Medical Society
North Dakota Medical Association
Ohio State Medical Association
Oklahoma State Medical Association
Oregon Medical Association
Pennsylvania Medical Society
Rhode Island Medical Society
South Carolina Medical Association
South Dakota State Medical Association
Tennessee Medical Association
Texas Medical Association
Utah Medical Association
Vermont Medical Society
Medical Society of Virginia
Washington State Medical Association
West Virginia State Medical Association
Wisconsin Medical Society
Wyoming Medical Society

Leaders of the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) last night requesting an expedited report on recent trends in prescription drug pricing.

Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry A. Waxman and Health Subcommittee Chair Frank Pallone released the following statement on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) release of new error rate information for Medicare.

The Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection and the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet will hold a hearing titled, “Exploring the Offline and Online Collection and Use of Consumer Information,“ on Thursday, November 19, 2009, in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing will examine the collection and commercial use of consumer data in the offline and online marketplace.

The Subcommittee on Health and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing titled, "H1N1 Preparedness:  An Update of Vaccine Production and Distribution" on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building.  The hearing will examine the response to the H1N1 influenza pandemic.

The Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection will hold a hearing titled, "Prioritizing Chemicals for Safety Determination," on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building.  The hearing will examine the options for prioritizing chemicals for safety determinations in the event that the Committee amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

The Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet will hold a hearing on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, to examine a discussion draft of the Universal Service Reform Act of 2009.