One-year Medicare pay patch, ICD-10 delay signed into law

President Obama signed into law legislation that would avert a massive Medicare pay cut for doctors of optometry and other physicians and push back the implementation deadline for the ICD-10 diagnostic and procedural codes. 
 
The measure prevents a 24 percent reimbursement cut that was scheduled to take effect April 1, 2014, and provides doctors of optometry and other physicians with a 0.5 percent payment boost through the remainder of 2014. The legislation also delays transition to ICD-10 for up to one year to October 1, 2015; CMS will make the final decision on the mandated implementation date. AOA and COA have been – and will continue – diligently working to help members prepare for the significant undertaking of transitioning to ICD-10.

Return to May