TY  - JOUR
T1  - “Doc fix” saves medicare payments again but takes the funds from public health
AU  - Mitka M
Y1  - 2012/05/02
N1  - 10.1001/jama.2012.3724
JO  - JAMA
SP  - 1787
EP  - 1788
VL  - 307
IS  - 17
N2  - 
At issue is Medicare's sustainable growth rate formula, which called for a 27% cut in physician payments starting on March 1, totaling about $17 billion for the year. But Congress passed, and the president signed, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. That legislation paid for the 27% shortfall through December 31 by taking $5 billion from the newly created Prevention and Public Health Fund and the rest from monies earmarked for hospitals, clinical laboratories, and other health care entities. And the Medicare payment problem will only get only worse as the sustainable growth rate formula calls for a 32% reduction beginning January 1, 2013.

SN  - 0098-7484
M3  - doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.3724
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.3724
ER  -