Medicare Pay Cut Postponed
After months of legislative wrangling and misfires, Congress approved legislation replacing a 21.3 percent cut in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) with a 2.2 percent increase, for services provided from June through November 2010. This affects health care professionals enrolled as direct Medicare providers, including advanced practice registered nurses. President Obama signed H.R. 3962 into law on June 25, 2010. Medicare reimbursement is based upon the lesser of the submitted charge, or the MPFS amount. CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, directed Medicare claims administration contractors to adjust their payment rates, and Medicare providers can contact their contractor to request adjustments on claims with charges below the new rates. ANA supports repealing the SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate) formula that triggers annual reductions in Medicare reimbursement for health care professionals. But the multi-billion dollar cost of a permanent repeal is a considerable obstacle, particularly in this current economic recession. The temporary SGR fix was used as a bargaining chip, to try to force passage of a jobs bill.
Eileen Shannon Carlson, RN, JD
Tags: June 2010, Medicare, Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate)
