Eight articles you need to read about the sustainable growth rate formula

Enacted by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the sustainable growth rate formula has been a lightning rod for calls for reforms or appeals by the American Medical Association and many other medical organizations.

Here, Orthopedics Today spotlights eight articles that focus on the status of the sustainable growth rate formula (SGR) and how it can impact an orthopedic practice.

Senate approves one-year SGR patch, delays ICD-10 billing codes

The U.S. Senate voted recently to approve a 1-year temporary legislative patch to avoid looming 24% cuts to physician Medicare payments. The measure also delays the ICD-10 billing codes compliance deadline until 2015. Read more.

House approves 17th temporary patch to Medicare SGR formula

A looming 24% cut to physician Medicare payments was averted recently when the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation providing another 1-year temporary patch, but not a more permanent fix, to Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula. Read more.

New legislation would delay permanent SGR fix for another year

Legislation to avert a deadline to cut physician Medicare payments by 24% was scheduled for a vote in the US House of Representatives. But the measure is another 1-year temporary patch and not a more permanent fix to Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula. Read more.

Another year of SGR? Fix increasingly uncertain as Democrats, Republicans debate funding

Physicians were hopeful that a permanent fix to the flawed sustainable growth rate formula underlying the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule was finally on the horizon. Read more.

President’s 2015 budget supports SGR fix, boosts funding for primary care work force programs

Several provisions in the White House’s proposed budget will be of particular interest to physicians. Perhaps most notably, the proposed budget voiced strong support for reform of Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula. Read more.

NASS announces its support of SGR repeal legislation

The North American Spine Society today announced its support of the bipartisan SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 (H.R. 4015/S. 2000) and called for swift passage of the legislation. Read more.

Trading in Medicare SGR for MIPS: House, Senate committees agree on compromise bill

The House Ways and Means, the Energy and Commerce, and the Senate Finance committees released the bipartisan, bicameral SGR Repeal and Medicare Payment Modernization Act of 2014. Read more.

Bipartisan SGR replacement bill introduced by congressional leaders

House and Senate negotiators have reached a 5-year deal to provide physicians with a 0.5% annual increase in Medicare reimbursements, according to an announcement by congressional leaders on a deal to repeal the sustainable growth rate formula. Read more.