House lawmakers have introduced a bill that would both delay steep pay cuts for physicians under Medicare's sustainable growth rate and push the transition to ICD-10 by one year, to October 2015.
The legislation would delay the implementation of ICD-10 to Oct. 1, 2015. The American Health Information Management Association has called on its members to contact members of Congress and voice opposition to the bill. CMS has estimated a one-year delay of ICD-10 could cost between $1 billion and $6.6 billion, according to AHIMA.
The legislation would also protect physicians from pay cuts due to take effect April 1 under the SGR for one year, until the end of March 2015. The patch would be the latest in a series of short-term legislative solutions Congress has enacted every year since 2003 to stave off double-digit Medicare pay cuts for physicians under the SGR.
The House recently passed a bipartisan measure that would permanently solve the SGR issue by repealing the formula and replacing it with a payment system that incentivizes physicians to provide high-quality, low-cost care. However, the bill has not yet passed the Senate, and the White House has indicated President Barack Obama will veto the legislation if it reaches his desk because of an amendment delaying the individual mandate.
Congress is expected to vote on the latest SGR patch legislation tomorrow, according to AHIMA.
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