As we return from the Memorial Day recess, we are greeted by news on two fronts that was released late on Friday, May 28th:

Physician Pay Fix - To no one’s surprise, Congress was unable to pass a payment fix to the projected 21.3% pay cut that is due to take effect today. As a result, CMS has once again stated that claims with dates of service of June 1st and after are now subject to a hold in processing for ten business days to avoid applying the cut to claims. This will last on the calendar until June 14th. Congress is in recess for the remainder of this week as part of their “Memorial Day Recess” (funny how we get one day and they get five), meaning that almost half of CMS’ hold period will be spent waiting for Congress to come back to work and pass yet another temporary pay fix.

Red Flags Rules - The Red Flags Rules, of which the delays in enforcement  I have now officially lost count, have once again been delayed, this time until December 31st, 2010. Congress requested this particular delay in the rule because it is currently working on legislation that would either exempt certain businesses automatically from the rules or would allow businesses to request an exemption. At the same time as this legislation is being crafted, the AMA, the American Osteopathic Association and the Medical Society of the District of Columbia filed suit against the FTC on May 21, 2010 requesting that the FTC be barred from enforcing the rules against physicians. The suit argues that the FTC is exceeding its statutory authority by defining physicians as “creditors”.

As you can see, this is your typical federal government Friday news dump. Be certain to keep an eye on this space for further updates as they occur.

8:58 am, June 1st, 2010 |