As has happened in years past the initial cuts to Medicare have been delayed. In a whirlwind of activity at the end of the year, both the House and Senate passed S.610, which addresses the looming Medicare payment cuts. This means that the cuts have now been delayed, but only for a while.
The new fees have not been published yet and should be available shortly. Members of our Network services are welcome to reach out to us for the new fees once available.
For now, we recommend the following
Participating Providers: If you are a participating provider for Medicare, we encourage you to continue to bill Medicare at your normal fees. Your bills will be processed based on the appropriate fee schedule, once it is released.
Non-Participating Providers: If you are NOT a participating provider for Medicare, we recommend that you wait to submit your bills until the correct schedule is released. However, based on the information we have, you may be able to process your claims using the currently published 2021 rates and inform your patients that additional amounts may be owed or require refunding.
Here is what the new law addresses:
- The 2% sequestration has been delayed again through March 2022. Beginning on April 1, 2022, 1% sequestration will begin and it will increase to 2% on July 1, 2022.
- A 3% increase will take effect that mostly offsets the expiration of the 2021 3.75% “increase.” The overall impact of this change will still result in a .75% reduction in reimbursement.
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