Unless Congress acts, Medicare will cut physician payments 23 percent effective December 1, 2010. The NCMS and many physician groups continue to urge Congressional leaders to avert a Medicare crisis for seniors by stopping the cut for at least 13 months, then use the timeframe to fix the broken sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula used to determine Medicare reimbursement fees.

CLICK HERE to contact your Representative and Senators about permanently fixing the broken SGR.

Since the SGR problem first emerged, Congress has simply chosen to use short-term delays without trying to correct the problem. Delays have only allowed the cuts to grow larger and prompted more physicians to either opt out of Medicare or limit the number of Medicare patients they see. An AMA physician survey earlier this year showed a sizeable number of physicians would consider leaving Medicare or no longer see new Medicare patients if Medicare imposes a double-digit cut. For small and rural practices, the problem is especially serious because such cuts would negatively impact the financial stability of their practices and their ability to provide access to health care for seniors.

In a special column released this week, AMA President Cecil Wilson, MD, explains the importance of physician involvement in getting Congress to stop the cut.  Read the article now.