1. Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. The sustainable growth rate (SGR) automatic physician compensation reduction of -10.6% was retroactively replaced with a .5% increase, essentially maintaining the .5% conversion factor increase implemented for January-June 2008.
2. Incentive Payments. Extends through 2010 incentive payments for implementation of electronic prescription systems (EPS).
3. Medicare Advantage Plan.
· Essentially eliminates funding for 2014
· Begins phase out of IME costs in 2010
· Requires private fee for service contractors to negotiate specific contracts, rather than merely "match" Medicare
4. DMEPOS Bidding.
· Invalidates the Round 1 competitive bidding on contracts and requires rebidding
· Delays bidding of Round 2 until 2011
5. Accreditation. Authorizes the Secretary to recognize hospital accreditation by bodies other than the Joint Commission.
6. Miscellaneous
· Extends the 60-day locum coverage period if the covered doctor is in the active military
· Doctors adopting EPS will be eligible for a 2% bonus
· The 5% physician scarcity bonus will be eliminated while the 10% HPSA bonus remains
