As you know, Members of Congress have returned home to their districts to compete in the 2010 midterm elections. The House and Senate are expected to return to Washington for a lame duck session beginning the week of November 15, and they will have two short weeks to complete action on the "must-pass" Medicare bill to prevent the 23% Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) cut from taking effect on December 1. It is ...

In an exciting development for psychology, I am pleased to report that Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) has introduced legislation (HR 6147 to include psychologists in the Medicare "physician" definition. Our lobbying team has been working for several months to identify and recruit a champion on the Hill, and we are pleased that Schakowsky, who has a key role on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, h ...

As you know, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its proposed rule on the 2011 Medicare fee schedule - and there is a lot at stake for practicing psychologists. As we [American Psychological Association Practice Organization - APAPO] have mentioned previously, in addition to reflecting an expected cut to all services as a result of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and ...

On July 30th I sent you an information alert about the 2011 Medicare fee schedule proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The proposed fee schedule included some expected reimbursement cuts to all provider services related to the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and changes to the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). However, an additional cut due to revisions to the ...

As you know, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published its proposed rule on the 2011 Medicare fee schedule, and our regulatory team has completed an analysis of the lengthy and complex regulation. In addition to reflecting an expected cut to all services as a result of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and changes to the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) pay ...

As you may recall, in 2007 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented across-the-board cuts to provider reimbursements as a result of the five-year review regulatory process, which had a disproportionately negative impact on psychological services due to the way Medicare allocates value for services. Following the grassroots mobilization of practicing psychologists across the country, ...

As the current global economic crisis drives up the demand for mental health care services, cash-strapped agencies are slashing mental health budgets, according to a new Brandeis University study out this month in the International Journal of Mental Health. However, while most nations are cutting spending, a handful of countries are earmarking funding to meet the anticipated growth in mental health problems ...

As you know, a segment of practitioners have been randomly selected to participate in a critical survey of the psychotherapy codes as part of an important regulatory process of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), known as the Five-Year Review. For the first time in more than a decade, psychologists have an opportunity to participate in the process that determines how psychotherapy services ...

Pay-for-performance is an increasingly popular approach to improving health care quality. But the planned nationwide implementation of institutional bonuses mandated under federal health care reform threatens to act as a "reverse Robin Hood," potentially causing hospitals in less-advantaged regions to lose funds to health care facilities in more affluent areas of the country, according to a study published ...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published its proposed rule on the 2011 Medicare fee schedule, and I wanted to draw your attention to three important aspects. First, CMS is projecting a 6.1% cut to all services in 2011 based on the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. Since the regulation is based on current law, the proposed rule assumes no action by Congress to block the 23 ...