21 Percent Physician Reimbursement Cut Delayed

On June 25, President Obama signed The Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010.

The law cancels a 21 percent physician Medicare reimbursement cut that CMS began enforcing on June 18. The law also increases physician reimbursement by 2.2 percent through November.

The temporary increase is a sign that Congress still needs to take action to address the sustainable growth rate, which factors into the reimbursement rates. There have been estimates that the physician payment cut may reach as high as 30% by January if Congress does not find a long-term solution, or implement another "patch" when the reimbursement increase expires in November.

CMS will begin processing all claims at the new rate by July 1.


Source: BNA