Bulletin: December 29, 2011
Updated January 6, 2012
Medicare Physician Payment Cut Delayed
Claims Held While 2012 MPFS Implemented
President Obama signed the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 (TPTCCA) on December 23, which included a provision that delays the 27.4% Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) cuts to Medicare physician payments until March 1, 2012. President Obama indicated that he is committed to finding a permanent solution to the SGR cuts and will work with Congress to achieve the goal.
Since Congress acted so late in 2011, Medicare claims administration contractors are holding claims with January 2012 dates of service for up to 10 business days while CMS implements the 2012 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) with the zero percent update. These claims are expected to be processed no later than January 18, 2012.
TPTCCA also includes:
- Extension of the Medicare physician work geographic adjustment floor
- Extension of the moratorium on independent laboratory billing for the technical component (TC) of physician pathology services furnished to hospital patients
- Extension of ambulance add-on payments
- Extension of Physician Fee Schedule mental health add-on payments
- Extension of exceptions process for Medicare therapy caps
- Extension of minimum payment for bone mass measurement