The Continuing Extension Act of 2010, enacted April 15, 2010, extended the zero percent update to the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) through May 31, 2010. At this time Congress is debating the elimination of the negative update that took effect June 1, 2010. CMS is hopeful that action will be taken the next several days to avert the negative update.
To avoid disruption in the delivery of health care services to beneficiaries and payment of claims for physicians, non-physician practitioners and other providers paid under the MPFS, on May 27, CMS had instructed its contractors to hold claims for services paid under the MPFS for the first 10 business days of June. This hold only affects MPFS claims with dates of service on or after June 1, 2010.
Given the possibility of congressional action in the very near future, CMS is now directing its contractors to continue holding claims with dates of service on or after June 1, 2010 through Thursday, June 17, 2010 lifting the hold Friday, June 18, 2010.
This action will facilitate accurate claims processing at the outset and minimize the need for claims reprocessing if congressional action changes the negative update. It also should minimize the provider and beneficiary burdens and costs associated with reprocessing claims. CMS understands that the delayed processing of Medicare claims may present cash flow problems for some Medicare providers. However, it is expected that the delay, if any, beyond the normal processing period will be only a few days. Be on the alert for more information regarding the 2010 MPFS.