GOP blocks temporary SGR fix
MINNEAPOLIS, February 25, 2010 - It is unclear whether Congress will stave off a 21 percent cut in Medicare payment rates for physicians before Monday’s March 1 deadline.
Medicare cut is only days away
MINNEAPOLIS, February 18, 2009 - Congress has only 10 days to stop a 21 percent cut in physician Medicare reimbusement rates.
Senate sets stage to address SGR
MINNEAPOLIS, February 4, 2009 - The Senate voted to exempt about $82 billion for SGR from pay-as-you-go.
U.S. Senate still needs to deal with SGR
MINNEAPOLIS, January 21, 2010 - The U.S. Senate returned to Capitol Hill Thursday and only has until March 1 to repeal Medicare’s SGR formula. This gives physicians a short window of opportunity to permanently repeal Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.
Cardiologists sue over Medicare fee cuts
MINNEAPOLIS, January 6, 2009 - Heart specialists recently filed suit against Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in an effort to stave off steep Medicare fee cuts for routine office-based procedures such as nuclear stress tests and echocardiograms, according to USA Today.
President signs two month delay in Medicare cuts
MINNEAPOLIS, December 30, 2009 - Congress has passed, and President Barack Obama has signed, a measure that extends the current Medicare physician payment rate for the next two months, thus blocking a 21.2 percent reduction that was scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1 under the sustainable growth rate, or SGR, formula.
CMS to hold Medicare claims, extends participation deadline
MINNEAPOLIS, December 28. 2009 - Congress acted to avert the 21.2 percent Medicare physician payment cut and on December 19, and the President signed into law the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill (H.R. 3326) which will stop the cuts until March 1, 2010. Because the cut will not go into effect, Medicare plans to delay some Medicare payments and has extended the deadline for physicians to elect to participate in the program.
CMS to eliminate most consultation codes Jan 1
MINNEAPOLIS, December 29, 2009 - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement a new policy January 1 that eliminates consultation billing codes, except for telehealth consultations.
MMA raises concerns about peer grouping
MINNEAPOLIS, December 17, 2009 – The MMA has raised some serious concerns about the peer grouping system the state is developing as a requirement of Minnesota’s 2008 health care reform act.
House votes to delay Medicare SGR cut
MINNEAPOLIS, December 17, 2009 - Tucked in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act was a measure the House passed Wednesday that delays a scheduled 21 percent reduction in Medicare’s 2010 physician payments through February 28, 2010.