The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is considering whether to broaden the group of women it recommends to get routine screening for osteoporosis, and it wants physician input. Physicians and others can comment on the draft recommendations through 5 p.m. EST Aug. 3 online

ChiroVoice is growing ever larger now up to over 51,000 users.  Texas still ranks seventh in the nation in ChiroVoice Registrations, but our chiropractic colleges rank 12 and 13.

It’s more important than ever that you ask your patients and colleagues to sign-up on ChiroVoice.  Check it out HERE

This article, written by Susan McClelland and distributed by COCSA, reports that it's ok to waive the extra portion of the Medicare co-pay that the 2.2% Medicare pay increase has caused.  Read more of the details in this article.

On May 5, 2010, the requirement that ALL Medicare providers be enrolled in PECOS was, apparently, moved up to July 6, 2010. 

TrailBlazer has reported that they have not received official notification this earlier date of enforcement and will continue with original plans of a January 3, 2011, deadline.

Says TrailBlazer:  for "claims received on or after [January 3, 2011]...requiring a referring/ordering provider, claims processing editing will verify the ordering/referring provider submitted on the claim is of the specialty eligible to order/refer and is either enrolled in PECOS or the contractor's master provider file. If either of those requirements is not met, the billing provider will not receive payment for the ordered/referred services/items billed."

Enroll at the PECOS web site HERE

"In June Letters were recently sent to physicians and non-physician practitioners who are currently enrolled in Medicare but who do not have an established enrollment record in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS). Recipients of the letter include physicians and practitioners who not only bill for Medicare services, but who also order and refer services for Medicare patients."  
Trailblazers says that "to encourage the recipient to submit an enrollment application as soon as possible for the following three reasons:  Ensure correct Medicare payment for services provided to beneficiaries. To continue ordering and referring services for Medicare beneficiaries*. To be eligible to receive incentive payments for meaningful use of certified electronic health technology."There are two ways to enroll in PECOS:
Electronically through Internet-Based PECOS. For information on how to access Internet-Based PECOS, please refer to the information on the Internet-Based PECOS page. Mail a paper CMS-855I application. Note: Applications received via Internet-Based PECOS are given higher priority handling and have shorter processing times than paper applications. Refer to the notice TrailBlazer Average Processing Days for CMS-855 Applications. 

The Honorable Bob Glaze of Gilmer, Texas, passed away on Friday, June 25, 2010, at the age of 82. Read more in this article.

The House of Representatives voted 417 to 1 to pass a bill to delay a 21% cut in Medicare pay for physicians through Nov. 30 and to give doctors a 2.2% raise retroactive to June 1. The bill is a carbon copy of the bill the Senate passed last week, so now the legislation goes to the president to be signed.

The President has signed the bill...read more details in this article.

It appears that we may get to "enjoy" a 21% Medicare PAY CUT after all. 

"Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) doesn't support the temporary "doc fix" bill passed by the Senate last week because it has no job-creation measures." 'I see no reason to pass this inadequate bill until we see jobs legislation coming out of the Senate,' Pelosi said in the statement posted to her website. 'House Democrats are saying to Republicans in the Senate: show us the jobs!'"

The U.S. Senate passed an amended version of H.R. 3962, now called the “Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010,” by unanimous consent. This legislation provides a 2.2% increase in reimbursements for six months, from June 1 through Nov. 30, in lieu of the 21 percent cut scheduled for 2010. The Bill was approved by voice vote Friday afternoon.

Recognizi ng that the tax extenders bill was stalled, the "doc fix" portion was removed from the larger bill and placed in its own measure.

The bill now goes to the House, but members have already left for the weekend, so a vote will have to wait until Monday at the earliest. That means CMS will process claims at the lower rate until then, unless the agency announces otherwise.

"Once H.R. 3962 is passed by the House and signed by President Obama, CMS will retroactively adjust any June claims that have been paid."

The U.S. Senate debate continued June 17 over H.R. 4213, the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act stopping the 21.3 percent cut in Medicare physician payments produced by the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.

If legislation is not signed into law before the weekend, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will have no option but to instruct its contractors to begin processing Medicare claims for physician services provided in June at rates that reflect the 21.3 percent cut. 

If the "fix" isn't made before midnight tonight, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is likely to authorize its contractors to start paying doctors at the discounted rate, which has been on hold since June 1.

Read more in this article.