Congress Pushes Medicare Payment Cuts to June 1

Medpage -- Congress enacted legislation Thursday night that will stave off an impending 21% cut in Medicare reimbursements to physicians until June 1. The House voted 289 to 112 to enact a bill aimed at postponing, at least temporarily, the reduction in payments mandated by the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula -- a Medicare accounting scheme that links Part B reimbursement rates to increases in the gross domestic product (GDP).