House Passes Contested 'Doc-fix' Patch with ICD-10 Extension

Despite opposition from doctors' groups, on a voice vote Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a one-year patch for Medicare's unpopular sustainable growth-rate formula for physician payments and, in the same bill, extended the implementation deadline for ICD-10 diagnostic and procedural codes for at least a year.

The American Medical Association and its allies had come out strongly against the deal, which was brokered by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) earlier this week. Attention will now turn to the Senate, where influential Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also has expressed opposition to the deal.

The bill went far beyond a temporary doc fix patch and elicited opposition from a range of healthcare organizations and individuals upset by the temporary patch and by other provisions.

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Source: Modern Healthcare