Learn more: Medicare SGR replacement payment system details On April 16, President Obama signed into law the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) legislation, which negates the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, replaces it with new payment options and extends the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The bill was passed in a monumental bipartisan action taken by Congress, after a decade of fighting for change by the California Medical Association, the American Medical Association (AMA) and a host of other medical associations. In summary, MACRA permanently repeals the SGR formula and stabilizes Medicare payments ... May 15, 2015 Medicare Medicare, SGR, Sustainable Growth Rate, Federal Legislative Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA urges physicians to thank Congress for SGR vote Congress was able to put differences aside and overwhelmingly pass H.R. 2—historic bipartisan, bicameral Medicare reform legislation—once and for all! The California members of Congress who supported H.R. 2 deserve a hearty "thank you" for their bold action to repeal Medicare's broken sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and ensure significant reforms are made to Medicare, shifting the focus to better care and better patient outcomes. H.R.2 also extends the expiring Children’s Health Insurance Program. For more details on the bill, click here for the California Medical Association’s (CMA) summary. Only two ... April 29, 2015 Medicare Advocacy, Medicare, SGR, Sustainable Growth Rate, Federal Legislation 0 0 Comment Read More »
Leadership Academy opening session to feature Congressional leaders describing how SGR reform finally passed For nearly two decades, physicians have had to work with the threat of massive cuts to Medicare hanging over their head from the sustainable growth rate (SGR). Somehow, during the most virulent Congressional partisanship in our history, a solution was reached and overwhelmingly passed both houses in April. The Western Health Care Leadership Academy is pleased to confirm that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy will be joining the Leadership Academy faculty, along with Charlotte Ivancic, Policy Advisor for the Office of Speaker John Boehner, and Wendell Primus, Senior Policy Advisory ... April 29, 2015 General Sustainable Growth Rate, Western Health Care Leadership Academy, Federal Legislation, SGR 0 0 Comment Read More »
Congress passes Medicare payment reform and eliminates SGR Last week, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed H.R. 2 with a 92-to-8 vote, which will completely overhaul the Medicare payment program. This move, which follows the U.S. House of Representatives’ near-unanimous vote two weeks ago, is a monumental, bipartisan action taken by Congress that negates the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and extends the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). President Obama signed it into law on April 16. The California Medical Association (CMA), along with the American Medical Association (AMA) and other health care organizations, have been fighting to ... April 23, 2015 Medicare Advocacy, CPLH, Medicare, SGR, Sustainable Growth Rate, California Physician's Legal Handbook 0 0 Comment Read More »
Senate delays vote on SGR until April, CMS to delay 21% cuts until mid-month The U.S. Senate failed to take a vote to permanently fix the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) last night and will take the measure up when it returns from a break on April 13. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said shortly after the budget debate at 3 a.m. on the Senate floor, “It’s encouraging this passed the House with such a large bipartisan majority, and I want to assure we’ll move to it very quickly when we get back…I think ... April 1, 2015 Medicare Medicare, SGR, Sustainable Growth Rate, Federal Legislative Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA applauds U.S. House of Representatives for passing monumental Medicare-CHIP reform in landslide vote, urges U.S. Senate to act swiftly Sacramento – Today, the California Medical Association (CMA) congratulates the U.S. House of Representatives for passing monumental Medicare reform and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) extension, and urgently asks their colleagues in the Senate to do the same before spring recess. The 392-37 vote clearly shows that now is the time to make Medicare reform a reality. The legislation, H.R. 2, known as the “The Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act,” will reform the broken Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) physician payment system and extend the expiring Children’s Health Insurance ... March 26, 2015 Medicare Federal Legislative Advocacy, Medicare, SGR, Sustainable Growth Rate, Federal Legislation 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS prepares to make 21% Medicare rate cut should Congress fail to act before April 1 With an April 1 deadline looming, Congress has a week left to stop the 21 percent sustainable growth rate (SGR) cuts to the Medicare reimbursement rate. While Congress works to pass bills H.R. 2 and S. 810 to permanently end the SGR and implement new Medicare funding models, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that without Congressional action, the 2015 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule is scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2015. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have negotiated ... March 26, 2015 Medicare CMS, Legislative Advoacy, SGR, Sustainable Growth Rate, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA leaders converge on Capitol Hill to advocate for Medicare fix This week, 25 California Medical Association (CMA) physician leaders were in Washington, D.C., as part of the American Medical Association’s Legislative Week to urge Congress to enact the bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would repeal the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) and institute a new payment system. The group also asked Congress to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, formerly known as Healthy Families, which is set to expire September 2015. Medicare SGR Last year, both houses of Congress were very close to a permanent repeal of the badly broken SGR ... March 2, 2015 Medicare Federal Legislation, Medicare, SGR, Advocacy, Sustainable Growth Rate 0 0 Comment Read More »
Lame duck session of Congress adjourns, leaving SGR reform until 2015 In the final hours of the lame duck session, Congress passed a $1.01 trillion spending bill that will keep most of the federal government funded through next September, but it failed to pass a fix for the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR). Congress will leave it to be addressed before the April 1 deadline next year, when physicians will be faced with a 21 percent payment cut. Unfortunately, Congress will begin anew with many new members who have not been a part of the bipartisan, bicameral SGR Repeal and Medicare ... December 16, 2014 Medicare SGR, Sustainable Growth Rate, Medicare, U.S. Congress 0 0 Comment Read More »
Potential Medicare pay cuts coming in 2015; participation selections due Dec. 31 It's that time of year again – time for physicians to decide about their participation in Medicare. Physicians have until Dec. 31, 2014, to make changes to their status for 2015. In addition to the annual threat of steep payment cuts as a result of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, another factor for physicians to consider is that 2015 will be the first year that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will impose penalties under the value-based modifier (VBM) program for large medical groups of 100 ... December 16, 2014 Medicare , SGR, Sustainable Growth Rate, Medicare, Value-Based Payment Modifier 0 0 Comment Read More »
