3-Month 'SGR Fix' Passes House

The House of Representatives passed a 3-month patch late Thursday to stabilize physicians' Medicare payments -- delaying dramatic cuts scheduled for 2014 -- while Congress works on a permanent repeal of Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) payment formula.

The Senate is expected to take up the temporary patch next week.

Meanwhile, bills to permanently repeal the SGR worked their way through committees in the House and Senate, with further action and possibly votes from the full chambers expected early next year. The bills would repeal the SGR, encourage the use of alternative payment models such as accountable care organizations, combine three quality incentive programs into one, and make numerous other changes to the way Medicare pays for the delivery of healthcare.

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Source: Med Page Today