The next couple of months may bring the end of the annual threat of a 20%+ cut in Medicare reimburesement:
"I would not break out the champagne just yet...still, the announcement today that House and Senate lawmakers have reached an agreement to eliminate the sustainable growth rate formula in the current payment system and replace it with one based on quality measures and new reimbursement systems could signal the beginning of the end to a decade-long policy quandary in which doctors annually face reimbursement cuts.
The agreement between the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees would repeal the SGR and provide physicians? a 0.5 percent payment update each year for five years while doctors transition to a new payment system."
http://www.bna.com/house-senate-lawmakers-b17179881952But the biggest news may be major changes (or the end!) of MU and PQRS:
"According to a summary provided by the committees that crafted the proposal, the ?payment implications? of the current incentive-payment programs would end at the end of 2017. That means Medicare would eliminate scheduled reductions in Medicare reimbursement in the form of 3% penalties for failing to comply with the meaningful-use criteria, as well as escalating penalties up to 5% in 2019. The 2% penalty for failure to report PQRS quality measures in 2017 would be dropped, too. "
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/art...l&utm_campaign=hits&utm_name=topIt is hard to know exactly what this means- or what the final form will be, but it sounds like those who don't do MU would be penalized in 2015-17, but after that the penalties would end.
