CONGRESS PASSES LEGISLATION
PROTECTING PHYSICIANS FROM IMMINENT PAY CUT
MEDICARE TO BEGIN PROCESSING APRIL
CLAIMS (4/16/10)
Last evening,
President Obama signed into law the Continuing Extension Act of 2010. This
legislation extends through May 31, 2010, the zero percent update to the
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) which was in effect for claims with dates
of service from Jan. 1, 2010, through March 31, 2010. The law is retroactive to
April 1, 2010.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has
instructed Medicare contractors to begin processing claims under the new law for
services provided by physicians, non-physician practitioners (NPPs) and others
paid under the MPFS. Most claims with dates of service April 1 and later were
held by Medicare in anticipation of congressional action. If Congress had not
acted, payment rates for these services by physicians, NPPs and others who are
paid under the MPFS would have been reduced, as required by a formula specified
in the Medicare law.
The negative update, originally scheduled to go
into effect for services paid under the MPFS on or after Jan. 1, 2010, was
postponed until March 1 by a provision in the Defense Appropriations Act of
2009, and again until April 1, in the Temporary Extenders Act of
2010.
"The Administration has repeatedly stated that the formula that
determines what physicians and others are paid under the Medicare Physician Fee
Schedule is broken and needs to be fixed. We will continue to work with Congress
to find a long-term solution," said Jonathan Blum, deputy administrator and
director for the Center for Medicare. |