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Medicare to hold provider payments for nine days

Physician Practice Advisor, August 30, 2006

Congress has approved a Medicare "holiday" during which physicians, hospitals, and other providers will not receive Medicare reimbursements, the AP/Washington Times reports. The payment freeze will be in effect Sept. 22-30 in order to move some program expenditures, nearly $5.2 billion in Medicare expenses, into the next fiscal year.

Shifting expenditures from one fiscal year to another allowed Congress to avoid a scheduled 4.4% reduction in Medicare payments this year. Herb Kuhn, director of the Center for Medicare Management, said in the article that the agency has informed providers about the delayed Medicare reimbursements and has received no complaints.

Providers affected by the delayed Medicare reimbursements will receive payments in full after Oct. 1, but the federal government will not pay interest.

Click here to read the AP/Washington Times article.

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