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Patients First Act of 2026

H.R. 9693 Rep. John Joyce (R-PA-13) In committee
Bill text PDF
  1. Introduced Jul 15
  2. Committee Jul 15
  3. Passed House Next
  4. Passed Senate Not yet
  5. To President Not yet
  6. Law Not yet
Where it stands
In committee, Jul 15, 2026Next: House vote
105d ago Jul 15, 2026: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Final votes
No roll callsNo recorded vote on this bill yet
Lobbying
2companies, 3 filings
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Summary

Patients First Act of 2026

Full summary4 paragraphs

This bill modifies payments and incentive programs under the Medicare physician fee schedule.

The bill establishes a temporary program to provide hybrid payments for certain primary care services. Under the program, payments for services relating to care management, behavioral health integration, office-based evaluation and management (including telehealth), and communications (e.g., phone calls) are made on a monthly basis to providers for each individual that is attributed to the provider's practice. The monthly amount is based on the national average amount for such services. Providers may opt into the model; in order to qualify, providers must be owned or controlled by health care practitioners and must have had the majority of their prior year's payments consist of payments for the covered services.

The bill also renames the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and modifies the program to include performance measures relating to care efficiency (e.g., reducing avoidable hospitalizations). (MIPS is an incentive program under Medicare that allows health professionals to receive payment adjustments based on certain performance measures.) The bill generally reduces the program's performance-based payment adjustments, including positive adjustments for providers that are not owned or controlled by health care practitioners.

Finally, the bill allows for larger annual adjustments to the Medicare physician fee schedule and bases these adjustments on inflation. It also requires certain corrections to compensate for expenditures under the fee schedule that exceed a certain amount in a given year, and it limits how much certain adjustment factors may vary each year.

Library of Congress summary, Jul 15, 2026

Summary versions
  • Introduced in HouseJul 15, 2026

Official record from Congress.gov, the House Clerk and the Senate; lobbying from Lobbying Disclosure Act filings. Updated Oct 27, 2026.