The 21.3% Medicare physician pay cuts scheduled for this year still remain in limbo.  The House passed a bill, H.R. 4851 that would extend the pay cuts for another 30 days, but the Senate failed to pass the legislation before the spring recess.  The Senate did, however, pass H.R. 4213 on March 10^th which would extend the current Medicare physician payment rates through the end of September 2010 and the therapy caps exception process through the end of the year, but the House has yet to vote on this bill.

Congress will reconvene on April 12^th and some action is expected at that time.  In the interim, however, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has put a 10 day freeze on all Medicare claims payments received after April 1, which would extend the zero % payment update until April 14.