Tag: Doc Fix Bill
'Finally': Binding bids become law
April 17, 2015Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - Industry stakeholders took a quick victory lap last week, after binding bids language was passed as part of the “doc fix” bill, but then got back to work.
“This is a big step, finally, to have this legislation passed,” said Tom Ryan, president and CEO of AAHomecare.
President Obama signed the “doc fix” bill, which prevents a 21.2% cut to physician payments, into law on April 16. In addition to binding bids, the bill requires providers to provide...
Binding bids language heads to president's desk
April 15, 2015HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The Senate on Tuesday passed a “doc fix” bill that contains binding bids language.
The House of Representatives passed a similar bill just before the Easter recess.
President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law, according to news reports.
The bill, which the Senate passed 92-8, staves off a 21.2% cut in payments to physicians.
The binding bids language in the bill has its roots in H.R. 284, which the House passed on March 16.
In addition to binding...
In brief: ICD-10 delay is final, patent case nears trial
April 4, 2014HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - President Obama has signed a “doc fix” bill that delays ICD-10 implementation for at least one year, until Oct. 1, 2015. The Senate passed the bill last week, and the House of Representatives passed the bill on March 27. The “doc fix” bill prevents a 24% cut in physician pay for another year, until April 1, 2015. It's the 16th time that Congress has passed such a patch on physician pay, rather than come up with a permanent fix, according to reports. Reaction...
ICD-10 delay heads to president
April 1, 2014HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The Senate yesterday passed a “doc fix” bill that delays ICD-10 implementation for one year, until Oct. 1, 2015, according to news reports.
The House of Representatives passed a similar bill on March 27.
The “doc fix” bill, which now heads to the president's desk, prevents a 24% cut in physician pay for another year, until April 1, 2015.
It's the 16th time that Congress has passed such a patch on physician pay, rather than come up with a permanent...
Bid program: Stakeholders push for more meaningful fix
January 10, 2014Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - HME industry stakeholders are hard at work trying to leverage a small victory in their fight against competitive bidding.
In December, stakeholders succeeded in getting an amendment in the “doc fix” bill that would require providers to prove they meet licensure requirements before they are allowed to submit bids. But that's a far cry from what they had initially sought.
“We'll be pushing to get some of the key components of the market-pricing program into...
The political landscape in early 2014
January 2, 2014Liz Beaulieu, Editor
We may have closed the book on 2013, but as The VGM Group's John Gallagher reminded me this week, we didn't close the book on replacing the competitive bidding program with a market-pricing program (MPP) program.
In the House of Representatives, H.R. 1717 still has a pulse with 164 co-sponsors in the 113th Congress.
In the Senate, an amendment requiring providers to prove they meet licensure requirements in states where they don't have a presence before they submit bids, is tucked into a recently...
Bid fix earns place in 'doc fix'
December 13, 2013Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - The HME industry scored a small victory last week when an amendment to fix a problem with Medicare's competitive bidding program was included in a markup of the “doc fix” bill passed by the Senate Finance Committee on Dec. 12.
“The goalposts are a little closer,” said Tom Ryan, AAHomecare president and CEO. “By no means are we putting up a mission accomplished flag, but the fact that there's a mention of a fix for competitive bidding in the markup...