PPM Pages December 2011-2

Over the holiday weekend, the House of Representatives and the Senate reached a deal on the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act, which included the postponement of the SGR cut until March 1, 2012. The cut was previously scheduled for January 1, 2012. The SGR rates will therefore remain unchanged through January and February of 2012. Precision supports the compromise reached over the weekend as it permits the House of Representatives and Senate additional time to reach an agreement on a longer-term fix to the SGR problem. 

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced that it has extended the 2012 Annual Participation Enrollment Period through February 14, 2012. The effective date for any participation status change during the extension, however, remains January 1, 2012, and will be in force for the entire year.  Contractors will accept and process any participation elections or withdrawals made during the extended enrollment period that are post-marked on or before February 14, 2012.   

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A number of providers supported by Precision using Encite Clinical Manager (ECM) who completed their 90-day meaningful use qualification period in 2011 have now received their $18,000 first-year stimulus payments. It is currently expected that all providers qualifying for meaningful use in 2011 will receive payments by May 2012. Providers who did not attempt to qualify in 2011 can commence their 90-day qualification period in 2012 as early as January 1, 2012.

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