Groups plan cuts if Medicare isn't fixed

Nearly 7 out of 10 practices are likely to limit the number of new Medicare patients they accept unless Congress halts upcoming Medicare reimbursement cuts set to take place on December 1 and January 1, according to survey results released in October by the Medical Group Management Association at its annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The potential reduction in beneficiary access comes as a result of a pending 23.6% cut to Medicare physician payments in December, followed by an additional 6.5% reduction in January.

Without Congressional action, 49.5% of medical groups indicated that they will stop seeing new Medicare patients and 27.5% of respondents said they would cease treating all Medicare patients.