CHOC GPO

Healthcare Reform News:  

Medicare Fee Schedule:  The House has postponed the payment cuts.  Information received from COA states:  “In terms of specific impacts on community oncology practices, a provision in the defense appropriations bill would stop the 21.2% Medicare physician fee cut for the first three months of 2010.  That bill has just passed the House and is expected to be passed by the Senate at the end of this week.  The Senate bill contains a 1-year halt in the payment cut, so one less worry for community oncology practices is out of the way. “Read more at http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20091216/FREE/312169959

Medicare eliminates Consultation Codes for 2010 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services communicated to Medicare carriers that consultation codes (99241-99245 and 99251-99255) have been removed from the Medicare Claims Processing Manual. Effective, Jan. 1, 2010, consult codes will no longer be recognized for Medicare Part B payment. 

You can reference the MLN Article 6740:  http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM6740.pdf

 Medication/Drugs
“The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act) prohibits persons from importing into the United States any prescription drug that has not been approved for sale by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or which is adulterated or misbranded within the meaning of the Act. Moreover, in those instances where a United States manufacturer makes an FDA-approved prescription drug and sends it abroad, the Act also prohibits any person other than the original manufacturer from importing the drug back into the United States. Thus, in virtually all instances, individual citizens are prohibited from importing prescription drugs into the United States.”