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TrailBlazer Health Enterprises, the Texas Medicare carrier, is now paying physicians the new fee schedule rates approved by Congress last month. TrailBlazer is paying the 0.5-percent fee increase retroactive to July 1, according to a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) notice posted on the TrailBlazer Web site.
Congress instituted the 0.5-percent increase in July when it passed legislation – and then overrode President Bush's veto – scrapping the 10.6-percent cut that had taken effect July 1. Meanwhile, an American Medical Association statement [PDF] says CMS "will automatically reprocess any claims paid at the reduced rates and provide the balances due to physician practices that are shortchanged, most likely as a single batched check."
CMS has produced a brochure [PDF] of notices it issued after Congress acted. The brochure includes information on:
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New 2008 Medicare physician payment rates effective for dates of service July 1 through Dec. 31;
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Extension of the exceptions process for the therapy caps;
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A delay in the Medicare durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) competitive bidding program;
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Reinstatement of the moratorium that allows independent laboratories to bill for the technical component of physician pathology services furnished to hospital patients; and
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Extension of the payment rule for brachytherapy and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued an advisory [PDF] that says physicians who assumed the 10.6-percent cut would not be overturned, and collected copayments from Medicare patients will not be subject to OIG administrative sanctions.
Action, Aug. 1, 2008
Last Published: 7/31/2008 Print this page
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