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As a nationwide anesthesia management company, Xenon Health is setting an industry standard through use of its innovative credentialing process and team of experienced recruiters. Our providers do not just possess years of clinical experience and specialty training, but also are some of the best anesthesia practitioners in the country.
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What is Medical Sequestration? • Two percent payment reduction for the Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) program that affects claims with dates-of-service or dates-of-discharge on or after April 1, 2013 until further notice • Includes “claims for durable medical equipment (DME), prosthetics, orthotics, supplies” and all claims under the DME Competitive Bidding Program • Does not include beneficiary payments for deductibles and coinsurance • For those working in anesthesia services, note that drugs or any other health care item or service provided under the fee-for-service program are not excluded from the two percent reduction • The implementation of medical sequestration was a result of the Budget Control Act of 2011 and a sequestration order issued in March 2013 requiring reductions in Federal spending
Impact of Medical Sequestration • 766,000 healthcare-related jobs could be lost by 2021 if these Medicare cuts remain • Predict a “ripple effect” that will reduce the spending of goods and services by health care providers and organizations • Medical sequestration will harm both physicians and patients • “[c]oupled with the looming 27% Medicare physician payment cut, this 2% sequester will hurt patient access to care” and “[w]e need stability in Medicare physician payment […] to promote high-quality, high-value, better-coordinated care to our patients”
Impact on anesthesiologists • September 2012: the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and 72 other medical organizations joined in to oppose the cuts in Medicare spending and advocated for Congress to repeal the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate payment cuts • According to ASA President, Dr. Jerry Cohen, largely hospital-based anesthesiologists will have significant implications because hospitals will be cut under sequestration. • Dr. Cohen suggests that anesthesiologists lead coordinated care efforts in the surgical setting such as ASA’s Perioperative Surgical Home model of care in order to improve quality, ensure patient safety, and assist in cost containment. • He emphasizes the importance of continuing ASA’s new models of coordinated care in order to continue improving quality and safety despite these reductions. • The ASA has reached out to Congressional leaders to state their opposition to medical sequestration and advocate against these cuts
Next steps • Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) suggests Medicare physicians to continue reviewing the impact of this payment reduction on Medicare reimbursements • CMS also encourages healthcare providers to discuss the affects of sequestration with their patients • For more information on reimbursements, physicians can contact their Medicare Administrative Contractor • Congress enacted medical sequestration in order to help reduce federal spending, but many in the medical community fear that sequestration will have negative impacts on patients, medical research, and the economy
To learn more about our comprehensive anesthesia services, please visit www.xenonhealth.com Call us at 888.894.5143 E-mail us at info@xenonhealth.com
