An amendment tacked on to a bill containing the 30-day doc fix would further delay the 21% cut to physician payments until June 1. The amendment passed the Senate by a 60-40 vote Wednesday, but the entire bill is still awaiting final passage.
Today, April 15, marks the day carriers will start processing Part B claims at reduced rates. The 21% cut was implemented April 1, but CMS demanded carriers hold Medicare claims for 10 business days -- thus buying Congress time to adopt a pay fix.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday morning he hoped to pass the bill by the close of business. The bill would then need to go back to the House of Representatives for approval before going to the president to be signed into law.
If the bill is signed into law, CMS will need to reprocess any claim paid at the reduced rate. The agency has dealt with situations like this before, but this is no doubt creating a headache for all parties involved -- especially physician practices.