Coding Strategy

On Tuesday evening, the Senate passed H.R. 4691, which freezes the Medicare conversion factor at current levels through March 31.

Because of this vote, you will not face the 21% pay cut until April 1, explains Part B Insider editor, Torrey Kim. Hopefully by that point, a more permanent fix will have been introduced. “The Senate is working on a bill that would extend the current Medicare payment rate until Oct. 1,” reports this article from the AAFP site.

H. R. 4691 is a “hodgepodge” bill that contains a lot of other provisions in addition to this month’s conversion factor freeze, reports The Wall Street Journal. The bill also extends COBRA’s health insurance subsidies.

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Fear not: The CF may stay until autumn, but the current snow storm is delaying the official word.

Practices that were looking for a permanent change to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula before March 1 may come up empty-handed. However, Congress appears to be planning to offer an extension of the pay cuts that you’re due to face after Feb. 28.

Despite CMS’s plans to downgrade your 2010 conversion factor by 21.29 percent, the government stepped in at the last minute and offered you a quick boost in December, when Congress voted to delay a decrease to the conversion factor until March 1. Therefore, you’re facing a conversion factor of $36.0846 for dates of service between Jan. 1, 2010 and Feb. 28, 2010.

The temporary fix was described by many as a way to keep physician pay stable while a more permanent fix was devised. However, it does not appear that Congress is ready to adjust the SGR process.

In the meantime, government sources have indicated that the temporary conversion factor freeze at $36.0846 may be extended through this coming fall. Congress is considering adding a provision to legislation that was written to create new jobs which would extend the conversion factor freeze, according to word from the National Public Radio blog.

Because a snowstorm has shut down most government offices, no official word has come down from Washington about the provision to the jobs bill, but keep an eye on the Insider for future developments.

@ Part B Insider

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