PRESIDENT SIGNS THE MEDICARE, MEDICAID AND SCHIP EXTENSION ACT OF 2007 (S. 2499) 

On Saturday, December 29, 2007, President Bush signed The Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (S. 2499).  

Several provisions important to physical therapists and their patients were in the final bill including:  

• Extension of the therapy cap exceptions process through June 30, 2008.
• Increase in physician payment update; extension of the physician quality reporting system. Replaces the scheduled 10.1% cut to the Medicare physician reimbursement rate in 2008 with a 0.5% increase through June 30, 2008.
• Extension of the floor on work geographic adjustment.  Extends for six months the work geographic index (GPCI) floor of 1.0 through June 30, 2008.
• Payments for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Services. Permanently freezes the inpatient rehabilitation services compliance threshold at 60%.  Sets the market basket update factor at 0% from April 1, 2008 through FY09.
• Reauthorization of SCHIP to March 2009.

Click here for a summary of the provisions in The Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (S. 2499) or visit the Therapy Cap Resource Center on www.apta.org/advocacy.

Posted January 2, 2008

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