"Congress failed this week to advance legislation to protect patients and health care providers. Only 12 days remain until Medicare payments are scheduled to be cut by more than 10% and the exceptions process that prevents beneficiaries from having their therapy services capped will expire. Senate Democratic and Republican leaders are struggling to reach a compromise after a procedural vote blocked debate last week. Senate Democrats are talking with colleagues in the House of Representatives on possible alternatives for moving legislation to prevent payment cuts and expiration of the therapy cap exceptions process on July 1.
It is critical for members of Congress to hear now from APTA members and their patients that legislation must be passed next week to prevent disruptions in patient care. Use the "Stop the Cap" Resource Center to contact your legislators and inform your patients.
Even if Congress acts before July 1, it is possible that the processing of some Medicare claims could be temporarily affected by payment cuts or therapy cap denials. Physical therapists should prepare now for possible disruption of Medicare claims processing on and after July 1 and consider how to adjust their practices if payment cuts and caps on services go into effect. APTA's "Resources for Overcoming Practice and Reimbursement Challenges" Web page offers members guidance on possible practice adjustments."
(Source - The American Physical Therapy Association)
What does this article mean for you? I would love to hear your feedback on this development and the effect it might have on your current situation if you ware working in a facility with a lot of part A and B patients.
On the staffing side of the business, we have seen the rise of the part B cap and the effect it has had on open travel therapy jobs. A lot of physical therapists and physical therapy assistants had to look much harder for positions after the initial part B cap, do you see this as a continuation of the decline from Medicare or an oversight by Congress that will be cleared up soon?
I would love to hear your opinions on this article, we will be following this story closely.
