This week things are starting to get a little serious regarding physicians’ Medicare reimbursement. The AMA is gearing up for a fight, trying to avoid a scheduled 4.3% cut in Medicare reimbursement. Meanwhile a survey of California doctors suggested that they would stop taking new patients at the lowered rates. Much of this is just bargaining rhetoric, but CMS is determined to start Medicare down the pay-for-performance road, and has already begun to initiate this process by paying hospitals for reporting quality measures (even though it’s less than 0.5% of their Medicare revenue).

Meanwhile Republican house rep Nancy Johnson is pushing a pay-for-performance bill which would change how physicians get paid. Anytime you put doctors, money, and quality and performance requirements in a sentence together, be prepared for at the least a vigorous debate. Medicare is still the big Kahuna, and where it goes other payers will follow — if they’re not moving there already.