As the March 1 deadline approaches for Congress to prevent a 27 percent cut in Medicare physician payments, the AMA has released online videos emphasizing the urgency to repeal Medicare’s failed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. The videos—one geared toward Congress and the other toward seniors—warn that temporary patches to the SGR threaten access to [...]

The City of Philadelphia and surrounding counties have seen a dramatic increase in the number of ambulance providers.  From 2006 to 2011, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties have had a 73% increase in the number of Medicare credentialed ambulance providers performing services.  Data shows that the State of Pennsylvania has more ambulance providers than both the [...]

CMS has announced it will launch demonstration programs beginning in January 2012 targeting some of the most common factors that lead to improper payments.  Cost Saving Projects will Help Protect Medicare and Medicaid: Beginning on Sun Jan 1, 2012, CMS will conduct demonstration projects that will strengthen Medicare by aiming at eliminating fraud, waste, and [...]

CMS proposes to pay for physician services using the facility (vs. non-facility) rate for the physician component of diagnostic services and for nondiagnostic services that are: 1) performed in the three days prior to an inpatient admission 2) related to the admission, and 3) are performed in a physician practice that is wholly owned or [...]