The California Medical Association (CMA) has nominated Santa Cruz family physician Larry deGhetaldi, M.D., to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) for a term to begin this month. According to CMA Vice President of Federal Government Relations, Elizabeth McNeil, Dr. deGhetaldi has already been interviewed for the advisory board.

MedPAC is an independent Congressional commission established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to advise Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program. The commission's statutory mandate is quite broad: In addition to advising the Congress on Medicare payments, MedPAC is also analyzes beneficiaries’ access to care, quality of care and other issues affecting Medicare.

Dr. deGhetaldi has been a CMA member for more than 28 years, serves as the President of the Sutter Santa Cruz Medical Clinic and President of the Santa Cruz Division of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation serving 120,000 patients. His executive oversight includes operation of an acute care hospital in Santa Cruz, a home health agency and a 170 physician multi-specialty medical group affiliated with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Sutter Health. He also leads the Sutter Medical Network’s Quality Oversight Committee.

Dr. deGhetaldi is a former CMA trustee and continues to chair CMA’s Medicare Reform Technical Advisory Committee. He is one of the nation’s leading experts in promoting Medicare geographic payment accuracy. He has led the national debate to update and align the Medicare physician payment localities with the Hospital Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), reform the geographic practice cost index and improve the hospital wage index. He has also advocated for rate-setting reforms in the Medicare Advantage program.