After a mid-week roadblock was established on a procedural vote all but derailing the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act and the integrated provisions that included a “doc fix”, the Senate doubled-back on Friday and passed a separate measure that patches the pending cuts (21%) in the physician fee schedule set for June 1. The latest temporary measure stalling cuts as required by the sustainable growth formula underpinning the current Medicare reimbursement calculations for Part B services (physician fees, therapy rates, etc.) expired on June 1. In the interim, in anticipation of another patch to the cuts, CMS directed its fiscal intermediaries to “hold” or pend claims after June 1. The Senate legislation now must return to the House where as of today, reception as indicated by Speaker Pelosi is not likely to be “warm”.
The Senate’s fix calls for a 2.2% increase to the current fees (non-cut) through November 30 at a price tag of $6.4 billion. Integral within this temporary measure are funds to not only augment the physician fee schedule but to also impute the same increase to other health care services tied to Medicare Part B such as outpatient therapies. Come November 30, Congress will have to either have a more permanent solution in-place or additional temporary measures will be required.
Physician reaction was as expected; frustration and mixed anger. Physicians continue to grow more hostile toward Congress’ strategy of temporary payment fixes, calling for a revamp of the convoluted and antiquated formula known as the “sustainable growth formula”, tying Medicare reimbursements under Part B to economic growth in proportion to overall Medicare outlays. During health care reform discussions and in the initial Senate version and subsequent House version of the Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, longer term fixes to the fee schedule were integrated with larger costs. Politicians from both parties, worried about rapidly increasing deficit levels, systematically gutted these longer-term measures to the point where no legislation addressing the pending cuts was in place until late Friday.
The lengthy delay in addressing the pending cuts of June 1 caused CMS to extend a “hold” on claim adjudication, effectively stalling claims from June 1. On Friday however, CMS directed its fiscal intermediaries to begin adjudicating claims using the discounted fee schedule. In short, claims from June 1 will now be processed with a 21% reduction. CMS’ reasons for starting to pay claims at the discounted level are two-fold: First, longer delays in adjudicating claims will produce a significant back-log in claims, headed into the 4th of July holiday period; and second, the Senate legislation must return to the House for passage and preliminary indications from the House are that passage in its current version is unlikely. Claims can ultimately be re-processed once a permanent (or more lengthy temporary) fix is reached however, such re-processing is neither quick nor without additional work on the part of providers and CMS’ intermediaries.
There is no question that physicians as well as other provider groups are growing tired of Congress’ inability to resolve the Part B fee schedule issues. With health care reform a less than fully embraced law and policy analysts and economists pushing Congress on rising deficits, the political willpower to address Medicare issues involving “new” deficit spending is almost gone. In fact, many policy analysts and economists, including myself, have consistently pointed out that Congress lacks the political will to pass along the steep Medicare cuts imbedded in the PPACA and integral to its claim of “deficit reduction”. The “doc fix” saga is clear evidence of Congress’ inability to live up to the spending cuts it created under the PPACA.