December 6, 2011 | Comments Off on Still No Action on Sustainable Growth Rate Fix
Posted by Beth Christian
In a recent blog post, we have alerted our readers to the fact that the issues surrounding the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula remains unresolved. If Congress does not act prior to December 31, 2012, a reduction of approximately 27% in the Medicare fee schedule for physicians will automatically go into effect. In an article published in the Sunday Washington Post, the President-elect of the American Medical Association, Jeremy Lazarus, referred to the continued uncertainty of the sustainable growth rate issue as a “psychological sword of Damocles hanging over our heads.” As we indicated in our November 17th blog post, physicians should monitor the situation closely and be ready to implement any contingency plans they may have (with regard to Medicare participation, the acceptance of new Medicare patients, and the management of cash flow) if the sustainable growth rate cuts go into effect.