President Obama on June 25, 2010 signed the Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010 (H.R. 3962), which grants physicians temporary relief from cuts to Medicare reimbursements to physicians until November 30, 2010.
The provisions of H.R. 3962 delay a scheduled 21.3% cut to Medicare physician payments until Nov. 30, 2010.
Coincident with his signature of H.R. 3962, President Obama also directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services to take steps to minimize any disruption to, or administrative burden on, Medicare physicians and other affected providers and to minimize any disruption in the ability of Medicare beneficiaries to access necessary services by:
- Directing the Medicare claims administration contractors to immediately implement the legislative update to the physician fee schedule conversion factor;
- Providing all appropriate resources for the Medicare claims administration contractors to ensure the update is implemented as rapidly as possible;
- Directing the Medicare claims administration contractors to automatically reprocess, to the extent feasible, any claims reflecting the 21.3 percent fee schedule reduction, in order to relieve the administrative burden on physician practices;
- Take all necessary steps, to the extent permitted by law, to protect Medicare beneficiaries from any disruption to their access to services that may be occasioned by the reprocessing of claims; and
- Reopen the 2010 Annual Participation Enrollment Program through July 16, 2010, to allow physicians and other affected providers an additional opportunity to participate in Medicare.
While H.R. 3962 provides welcome relief for physicians, the 6-month period of the delay means physicians will again face Medicare reimbursement cutbacks later this year unless Congress can be persuaded to enact a more permanent extension. The Medical Group Management Association and other physician organizations are continuing to urge physicians to encourage Congress to enact this more permanent relief. See here.
The author of this update, attorney Cynthia Marcotte Stamer, has extensive experience advising and assisting health care providers and other health industry clients with reimbursement, compliance, public policy, regulatory, staffing, and other operations and risk management matters. You can get more information about her health industry experience here. If you need assistance with these or other compliance concerns, wish to inquire about arranging for compliance audit or training, or need legal representation on other matters please contact Ms. Stamer at (469) 767-8872 or via e-mail here.
Other Recent Developments
If you found this information of interest, you also may be interested in reviewing some of the following recent Updates available online by clicking on the article title:
- Proposed Medicare Rules Will Require Hospitals Honor Patient Visitation Preferences
- IRS Invites Input On Application of New Tax Exemption Requirements For Hospital Organizations Added By Affordable Care Act
- OIG Touts Expanding Health Care Fraud Enforcement Success & Launches New Health Care Fraud Hotline
- HHS Invites Input on Proposed Strategic Framework on Multiple Chronic Conditions
- New CBO Analysis Hikes Projected Affordable Health Care Act Cost by $115 Billion
- HHS Invites Input on Proposed Strategic Framework on Multiple Chronic Conditions
- New CBO Analysis Hikes Projected Affordable Health Care Act Cost by $115 Billion
- Pennsylvania Nurses Vote For Union In NLRB Election Highlights Rising Union Organizing Activity In Health Care Industry
- NTHCPA Hosts May 11 Compliance Program on “Diversity & Nondiscrimination In Patient Care”
- WellPoint To Ban Coverage Rescissions Before Affordable Care Act Fall 2010 Deadline
- Veterans Health Administration Invites Public Comment on Information To Be Required To Make Online Copayment Payments
- CMS Proposes FY 2011 Acute Care & Long-Term Care Inpatient Policy & Payment Rate Changes
- Agencies Seek Public Input On New Insurer Premium Revenue Reporting Obligations Added By Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
- DEA/DOJ Release Interim Final E-Prescribing Rules
- Joint Commission Revises Medical Staff Bylaw Standard
- IRS To Allow Medical Resident FICA Refund Claims
- Stamer Speaks To Chiefs of Staff About JCAHO Physician Performance Evaluation Requirements
- HIPAA Heats Up: HITECH Act Changes Take Effect & OCR Begins Posting Names, Other Details Of Unsecured PHI Breach Reports On Website
- HHS Delays 2010 HHS Federal Poverty Rate Update To March 1, 2010
- Rising Enforcement and Changing Rules Require Prompt Review & Update of Health Plan Privacy & Data Security Policies & Procedures
- Pfizer To Pay $2.3 Billion For Fraudulent Marketing In Largest DOJ Health Care Fraud Settlement
- Maximum Penalty For Patient Protection Act Confidentiality Breaches To Rise To $11,000
- OIG Special Fraud Alert Targets DME Telemarketing
- Federal HEAT & Other Federal Health Care Fraud Efforts Score More Than 15 Successes As OIG Claims $20.97 Billion Saved From Enforcement Activities In December
- HEAT Initiative Snares Health Fraud Related Guilty Pleas of Physical Therapist, Money Launderer and Patient Recruiter In Detroit
- Retaliation For Filing HIPAA Complaint Recognized As Basis For State Retaliatory Discharge Claim
- Quest Diagnostics Inc. To Pay $688,000 In Overtime Back Wages Settlement After Misclassifying Systems Employees As Exempt
- Homecare Workers Exempt From FLSA
For More Information
We hope that this information is useful to you. If you need assistance evaluating or responding to the Health Care Reform Law or health care compliance, risk management, transactional, operational, reimbursement, or public policy concerns, please contact the author of this update, Cynthia Marcotte Stamer, at (469) 767-8872, cstamer@Solutionslawyer.net.
Vice President of the North Texas Health Care Compliance Professionals Association, Past Chair of the ABA Health Law Section Managed Care & Insurance Section and the former Board Compliance Chair of the National Kidney Foundation of North Texas, Ms. Stamer has more than 23 years experience advising health industry clients about these and other matters. A popular lecturer and widely published author on health industry and human resources matters, Ms. Stamer continuously advises health industry clients about these and other related concerns. Ms. Stamer also publishes and speaks extensively on health and managed care industry regulatory, staffing and human resources, compensation and benefits, and other operations and risk management concerns. Her insights on these and other related matters appear in the Health Care Compliance Association, Atlantic Information Service, Bureau of National Affairs, World At Work, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insurance, the Dallas Morning News, Modern Health Care, Managed Healthcare, Health Leaders, and a many other national and local publications. For additional information about Ms. Stamer, her experience, involvements, programs or publications, see here.
You can review other recent health care and internal controls resources and additional information about the health industry and other experience of Ms. Stamer here. If you or someone else you know would like to receive future updates about developments on these and other concerns, please be sure that we have your current contact information – including your preferred e-mail – by creating or updating your profile at here or e-mailing this information here. To unsubscribe, e-mail here.
©2010 Solutions Law Press. All rights reserved.
slphealthcareupdate.com 