The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 51-0 to approve bipartisan legislation that would replace the current Medicare payment model— known as the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR)—with a stable system of payments to reimburse U.S. doctors.

Every year, the SGR threatens medical providers with massive reimbursement rate cuts, which could result in fewer physicians being able or willing to serve Medicare patients. While Congress has historically responded by passing a temporary patch to prevent the cuts from hitting U.S. doctors, the system has jeopardized the stability of Medicare and brought great uncertainty to millions of American seniors, according to Congressman and House Energy and Commerce chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.)

The bill, H.R. 2810, would repeal the broken SGR formula and replace it. It simplifies the process and eliminates onerous paperwork, allowing physicians to focus on patient care, Upton said.

The bill provides an annual statutory update of 0.5 percent per year for 2014 through 2018. Beginning in 2019, physicians receiving fee-for-service reimbursement will receive an additional update adjustment based on quality performance under the update incentive program (UIP). Performance will be assessed based on quality measures and clinical practice improvement.

“Today’s vote is an important milestone, but we are all resolved to achieve reform in a fiscally responsible manner.  Despite our significant progress, we will not be satisfied until the ink is dry on the president’s signature,” Upton said in a statement. “It gives seniors the peace of mind of knowing that their trusted physician will be there for them by securing stable payments for doctors.  It also provides physicians the security they need to care for their patients by removing the specter of a practice-killing 25 percent across-the-board pay cut.”