Congress Extends Medicare Physician Payment Relief Through the End of 2021 The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act suspended the sequestration payment adjustment percentage of 2% applied to all Medicare Fee-for-Service claims from May 1 through December 31, 2020. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, extended the suspension period to March 31, 2021. An Act...
CMS Announces Additional COVID-19 Provider Relief On March 28, 2020, CMS expanded the existing COVID-19 Accelerated and Advance Payments (CAAP) Program to a broader group of providers. Accelerated and advance payments are payments intended to provide necessary funds to Part A providers and Part B suppliers, respectively, when there is a disruption in claims submission...
AMA Releases Report on Physician Service Expenditures in 2020 In March 2021, The American Medical Association (AMA) released a new report “Changes in Medicare Physician Spending During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” which analyzed Medicare claims data exclusive to physician services. The study found that in April 2020, spending dropped to 57% below expected pre-pandemic levels. Medicare...
ISASS and Other Stakeholders Urge Congress to Extend Physician Payment Relief in 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule ISASS joined a sign-on letter to congressional leadership advocating that Congress pass legislation to extend the current moratorium on the 2% Medicare payment sequester beyond the current March 31, 2021, expiration date. The letter strongly urges...