Endocrine Insider
May 30, 2008

The Senate will likely consider a Medicare package in the coming month that will address the impending physician payment cuts and other health priorities of the Senate Finance Committee. If Congress does not vote for this fix, physicians will see a 10.6 percent cut in payments on July 1, 2008. Although Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) has stated that he would like to include an 18-month fix to the payment cuts, the Finance Committee must identify $15 to $19 billion in offsets in order to cover the costs.

In addition to the payment cut fix, the Senate Finance Committee is considering additional provisions for the Medicare package, including a fix to dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) payment cuts.

As previously reported in Endocrine Insider, in February 2008, Senators Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced the Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Testing Act (S. 2702) in support of DXA and vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) services. This legislation will overturn the drastic cuts to Medicare reimbursement for DXA and VFA tests that have already begun to take effect . These cuts, which in total will reduce payment for DXA services from $140 in 2006 to $50 in 2010, have made it difficult for endocrinologists and other providers to continue to offer DXA and VFA services to their patients outside of the hospital setting. As a result, many providers are discontinuing DXA and VFA testing in their offices and imaging centers. The Society requests that members contact their Senators to request that the Senate Finance Committee provide an 18-month fix to the physician payment cuts and include relief from the cuts to DXA payments. Please help by taking a minute to e-mail the Senate by clicking on "Action Alert: Stop Physician Payment Cuts - Contact your Senator Now!" at the following link: http://capwiz.com/endocrine/home/. A sample letter has been created, which may be customized.