Faced with a proposed cut to Medicare fee-for-service rates—a whopping 27 percent come Jan. 1, per the 2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) proposed rule—physicians have been waiting for a sign indicating Congress will override the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) methodology that calls for the cut, as they have since 2003.
Getting the ball rolling earlier than in years past, Rep. Michael Burgess, MD, (R-TX), introduced the Assuring Medicare Stability and Access for Seniors Act of 2012 on July 18. (more…)
July 26th, 2012
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold a National Provider Call Aug. 1 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET to provide physicians, physician groups, practice managers, medical and specialty societies, payers, and insurers with an overview of its proposals for the physician value-based payment modifier. (more…)
The changes to policies and rates under the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) include sweeping fixes, and it allows for changes resulting from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Scheduled to be released in the Federal Register later this month, comments are due on the proposed rules Sept. 4.
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July 16th, 2012
In rapid fire succession, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed rules in July that will dictate payment policies and reimbursement rates for health care providers in 2013 in several programs: medicare physicians fee schedule (MPFS), outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS), home health, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), and end stage renal disease (ESRD). (more…)
July 13th, 2012
U.S. Reps Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., and Joe Heck, DO, R-Nev., reintroduced on May 9 legislation that would repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) and award annual payment updates to physicians for providing seniors with high-quality care.
“For far too long we failed America’s seniors and created a long-term fiscal nightmare for Medicare by maintaining the status quo of the broken Medicare physician payment system,” said Schwartz in a press release. “Now is the time to fix the broken system once and for all by moving forward with a payment system that rewards quality and value, saves lives, and assures seniors’ access to the care they need.” (more…)
May 11th, 2012