We've just read the CBO on the SGR. Long story short: Don't make long-term plans based on a permanent pay fix just yet.
In very unshocking news, figures from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) suggest the cost of a one-year fix for 2013 will come in at $18.5 billion, maybe more. The alternative, as you know, is a 30% cut you're unlikely to have to actually implement.
But, as always, expect it to come down to the wire. A recent deal to fund the government through March doesn't even address physician payment reform and in previous years, the temporary solution has dragged on week-to-week, with complex rules for getting claims filed and re-processed in order to get paid correctly.
Expect the blow-by-blow coverage, including precise tips for making sure you don't come up empty, in Part B News, both in print and online.