Senate Passes “Doc Fix”

The Senate acted late Friday afternoon, June 18, 2010 to avoid scheduled cuts in Medicare provider payments. The Senate passed bill would put the scheduled cuts off for six months in hopes that a permanent solution can be forged.  The scheduled “sustainable growth rate” (SGR) cuts were first scheduled to take effect years ago, but repeatedly have been put off temporarily. The Senate action must be reconciled with the House passed 19 month fix before any temporary fixes to this structural problem goes into effect.  It appears that this extension will not take effect in time to prevent implementation of the cuts, causing a potential paperwork nightmare for providers.  The American College of Cardiology (ACC), an active participant in NCHC,  is a leading voice for finding a long term solution to this  problem. 

 

Read a Politico article on the “Doc Fix” here