Bicameral ‘Doc Fix’ Aims To Permanently Replace SGR
On Thursday, lawmakers from the Senate Finance and House Ways & Means committees unveiled a bipartisan draft framework aimed at permanently replacing Medicare's sustainable growth rate formula, which sets physician reimbursement rates. The "doc fix" is expected to cost less than a similar House bill (HR 2810) because it would freeze physician payments for 10 years, while HR 2810 would include 0.5% annual updates over five years.
- "SGR Repeal Bill: 10-Year Pay Freeze, but P4P Incentives" (Pittman, MedPage Today, 10/30).