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Physician Fee Schedule
Congress passed the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 last December that stopped the proposed 10.1 percent cut in the 2008 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for a period of six months. For the period of service beginning January 1 through June 30, 2008, there will be a 0.5 percent increase to the physician fee schedule conversion factor. However, on July 1, 2008, the 10.6 percent cut will go into effect unless Congress passes legislation to extend the payment patch.
The fee schedule is updated on an annual basis according to a formula specified by statute, which is known as the sustainable growth rate (SGR). In addition to updating the Medicare physician fee schedule, the proposed rule revises a number of other policies affecting Medicare Part B payments, such reimbursement rates for portable imaging and ambulance services.
The proposed 2009 fee schedule update is expected to be published in July, with the final rule published in early November.
NASL ActionNASL played an active role in securing passage of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007. Working with like-minded organizations, NASL is seeking passage of an 18 month payment patch this spring. This would provide a level of funding certainty for patients and providers for the last half of 2008 and 2009. The long-term goal for NASL remains an overhaul of the flawed SGR formula that is used to calculate payment updates, while the short-term goal is to secure passage of legislation to forestall to the anticipated cuts beginning July 1.
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