December 23, 2011
President Obama signed the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 which extends the current SGR patch, along with the payroll tax holiday and unemployment compensation through February 29. The two month SGR extension freezes Medicare physician payment rates at 2011 levels and avoids a 27.4 percent cut due January 1.
In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the annual Medicare participation enrollment period through Feb. 14. The previous deadline was Dec. 31.
The effective date for any participation status change during the extension, however, remains January 1, and will be enforced for the entire year. According to CMS, contractors will accept and process any participation elections or withdrawals made during the extended enrollment period that are post-marked on or before February 14.
Your Academy continues to focus on eliminating the SGR and will keep members updated with new developments at www.aapmr.org.