Eli's Rehab Report

Extensions to the 2009 Medicare physician fee schedule pay rate have finally run out. On June 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services allowed a three-day extension on a claim hold that the agency put in place earlier in June to avoid disruption in delivery of care and to give Congress a few more days to work out a solution, according to the American Physical Therapy Association's newswire, News Now. Congress, however, was not able to reach a resolution, so cuts under the Medicare physician fee schedule took effect June 18.

Good news: Late on June 24, Congress squeezed in a 2.2 percent payment increase to the Medicare physician fee schedule via the Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010 (HR 3962). This pay increase will last only six months, until Nov. 30, News Now reported.

President Obama signed this bill into law on June 25. The pay increase will be retroactive to June 1, so any your June claims will be reprocessed. You, may, therefore, see a delay in reimbursement for your June claims.