Breaking News: Yesterday, the Senate approved a one-month reprieve from the 23 percent Medicare physician payment cut scheduled to take effect on Dec. 1. This move is a necessary first step to avoid a disruption in payments while Congressional leaders continue to seek a long-term solution to the sustainable growth rate formula (SGR) that will stabilize Medicare physician payments through 2011.
Next steps: The House has recessed for Thanksgiving and is expected to take up the bill when it returns Nov. 29. In the interim, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) says that he and Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA) have agreed to work on a year-long physician payment update before the one-month extension expires.
The ACC and the rest of the house of medicine continue to demand an update at least through 2011. The uncertainty and disruption caused by continuous short-term "patches" is not acceptable, nor fair, to physicians, their staff and most importantly their patients. Stay tuned to "The Advocate" and CardioSource.org/Advocacy for updates following Congress' return on Nov. 29. You can also read more on the ACC in Touch blog.
Questions/Comments contact ACC Advocate Editor Steve Erickson at advocate@acc.org.