Medicare
Fee Cuts Could Devastate Rehabilitation Services, Physical
Therapists Warn Congress
ALEXANDRIA, VA,
May 8, 2008 — Pending cuts to the Medicare physician
fee schedule could severely hamper the ability of physical
therapists to serve the rehabilitation needs of seniors and
people with disabilities, driving up overall costs while decreasing
quality of care, according to the American Physical Therapy
Association (APTA) and its Private Practice Section.
In testimony
May 8 before a hearing of the U.S. House Committee on
Small Business, Tom DiAngelis, PT, vice president of APTA's
Private Practice Section, commented that a scheduled 10.6
percent cut in Medicare physician payments could have an especially
devastating impact on PTs in private practice, who are faced
with not only the rising costs of running a small business,
but also decreases in revenue due to a variety of government
payment and policy challenges. The hearing on "Medicare
Physician Fee Cuts: Can Small Practices Survive?" provided
an opportunity for the committee to examine the potential
impact of fee cuts on the practices of physicians and other
allied health professionals. Unless Congress intervenes, the
cuts will go into effect July 1, 2008, and could also have
significant ramifications on the services offered to Medicare
patients, according to APTA.
To read the full press release, click
here.
DEADLINE:
May 12, 2008
PPS Audiocast:
Creating Practice Growth Through Equity Sharing and Succession
Planning
Are you considering a succession plan for your
practice for the time in 5, 10, or 20 years or more when you
will want to exit? Are you a PT interested in gaining ownership
into a practice? Learn how to plan your transition without
leaving your office! Register for the audiocast today!
Date & Time: Monday, May 19, 2008
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Eastern
Presenter: James E. Glinn, Sr., PT
Coauthor of Transitions: How to Position Your Physical
Therapy Practice and Create Your Succession Plan
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Monday, May 12, 2008
For a registration form, click here.
CMS Assistance
Available for Claims Rejected Due to NPI Problems
Effective March 1, Physical therapists and
other Medicare providers are required to include National
Provider Identifiers (NPIs) in their claims' primary fields.
Claims that contain only legacy numbers in the billing, pay-to,
or rendering fields will be rejected or returned.
Physical therapists and other providers who
have had 837P or CMS-1500 claims rejected because of National
Provider Identifier (NPI) noncompliance have step-by-step
instructions available on the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) Web site. Providers are encouraged
to validate the information provided in their claims. If that
does not work, CMS requests providers call the customer service
representative at their Medicare contractor.
ABN Forms
Being Replaced
Effective March 3, 2008, The Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services (CMS) replaced two Advanced Beneficiary
Notices (ABNs) to offer new options regarding treatments that
might not be covered by Medicare.
CMS is replacing the General Use and Lab ABNs
with the ABN of Noncoverage. The new notice includes a mandatory
field for cost estimates of items and services, is allowed
to be used for voluntary notifications, and provides an option
for beneficiaries to pay out-of-pocket, rather than submit
a Medicare claim. CMS is allowing a 6-month grace period from
the date of implementation, March 1, 2008 to September 1,
2008, for use of the revised form and instructions.
The revised form and instructions are posted
on Medicare's Beneficiary Notice Initiative (BNI)
Web page.
CALL
FOR 2008 CANDIDATES: Deadline May 1
The Private Practice Section Nominating Committee
is inviting nominations for the 2008 election. We need your
assistance to identify individuals who will support the mission
of the Section and direct and lead the Section as it moves
to achieve its Strategic Plan. Members may nominate themselves
for office.
The membership will elect the offices of President,
Vice President, (1) Director and a Nominating Committee member.
Click here
to download a nomination form.
CALL
FOR 2008 AWARDS: Deadline June 6
One of the truly unique benefits of membership
in the Private Practice Section is the opportunity to learn
from those who have preceded us. We have all benefited from
the lessons learned and then shared by our PPS colleagues.
The Section’s annual awards are our opportunity to acknowledge
those who have so freely shared their knowledge and experiences.
These awards enable the Section to bring the benefits of membership
to a larger audience by highlighting innovations and experiences
of some of our most notable members. Please take a few minutes
to review the list
of awards and criteria then nominate someone who has made
a difference for you.
Committee
& Volunteer Opportunities – Applications for current
openings due May 1
PPS has many opportunities for you to share
your expertise and network. Current openings include the following:
• CSM Program Committee - Identifies and
supports organization and development of programming for the
PPS Section at the Combined Sections Meeting.
• Member Services Committee - Review and make recommendations
to enhance member services.
• Member Resources Contact - Serve as a resource by
offering to answer a few questions from your PPS colleagues
based on your experience in the areas of business and practice
management.
For an application and more details click here.
NEW
PUBLICATION: Transitions: How to Position Your Physical Therapy
Practice and Create Your Succession Plan by James E. Glinn,
Sr, PT, and Jan Glinn
Have you considered a succession plan for your
practice for the time in 5, 10, or 20 years or more when you
will want to exit? Are you a PT who is interested in gaining
ownership into a practice and looking for opportunities? It
is the goal of this manual to assist private physical therapy
practice owners in creating succession plans whoch are beneficial
to both buyers and sellers of practice equity, and which keep
ownership of the business, science, and art of our profession
in the hands of physical therapists. Learn from the authors'
experiences of owning and exiting 3 practices and their work
as consultants. Click here
to download an order form.
TIP
OF THE WEEK
Electronic Management Software
Considering purchasing a new elctronic management
system for your practice? The April 2007 and 2008 issues of
Impact magazine feature this very topic. Click here
to view these issues and gain more insight!
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