The U.S. House of Representatives passed the one-year delay of the temporary Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) "doc fix" bill with a voice vote on Thursday afternoon, March 27, according to numerous media reports.
The bill, in some form, is likely to be moved onto a Senate vote, which sources say could happen as soon as Friday. It’s unclear, however, when the Senate vote would occur.
Earlier in the day, the measure passed but was nullified by a “quorum not present” ruling, which occurs when a majority is not in attendance.
Released late Tuesday, it provides a 12-month delay to the March 31, 2014 expiration date of the SGR "doc fix.” The SGR, or sustainable growth rate formula, is the formula for physician payment established under Medicare since 1997, and has been repeatedly "fixed" in order to avert physician payment cuts under Medicare.
The bill just passed by the House also includes a one year delay to the implementation of ICD-10, to which many advocates in healthcare IT have been adamantly opposed.
Below is the video of the vote.
Credit: CSPAN
Healthcare Informatics will provide updates on this developing story as they occur.
