Senate to Consider Additional Short-Term Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Fix Extension on April 12
The Senate is scheduled to consider H.R. 4851, the Continuing Extension Act of 2010, on April 12, 2010 when it returns from its Easter recess. This bill would, among other things, extend 2009 Medicare physician fee schedule rates through April 30, 2010, retroactively blocking a 21.2% physician payment reduction that went into effect April 1, 2010 under the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula when a previous short-term fix contained in H.R. 4691 expired. The House already approved H.R. 4851 on a voice vote last month. Congress continues to struggle with crafting a longer-term solution to the Medicare physician fee schedule fix given the significant budgetary impact associated with this policy.
