News
Delay of Medicare 27% CutsCongress agreed to temporary fix
Congress approved a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut; the bill also delays a 27% cut in Medicare payments. Without this legislation, physicians faced a 27 % reduction in Medicare payments in 2012.
This bill is a short-term proposal that maintains current payment rates through February 29, 2012. Both chambers will then send negotiators to hammer out a yearlong package in early 2012 for the Sustainable Growth rate (SGR) formula, payroll tax cut, and unemployment benefits.
The Medical community continues to let Congress know that that these short term fixes creates uncertainty and instability in the medical community, and failing to adopt a real, long-term answer to the SGR will only lead to even more significant costs later.
BCBS of Florida Requires Accreditation for Payment of Advanced Imaging Services Effective January 1, 2012, accreditation through either the American College of Radiology (ACR) or Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) will be a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc. (BCBSF) requirement for receiving payment for advanced imaging services. Consistent with this requirement, effective January 1, 2012, National Imaging Associates (NIA) will not issue pre-authorization or voluntary pre-service coverage review (VPCR) to physicians or freestanding diagnostic centers who have not received accreditation. This is applicable to office-based physicians and freestanding diagnostic centers rendering the technical or global components for advanced imaging services.
PFS and HOPPS Final Rules and The Impact on Echocardiography
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule with comment period that updates payment policies and rates for physicians and non-physician practitioners for services paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) in calendar year (CY) 2012. More than 1 million providers of health services to Medicare beneficiaries are paid under the MPFS. CMS projects that total payments under the MPFS in CY 2012 will be approximately $80 billion.
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