Congress has until March 31 to take action on payment formulas including the sustainable growth rate (SGR): until then, physical therapists (PTs) need to know how to determine current payment for services. At APTA, there's a calculator for that.

The 2014 multiple procedure payment reduction (MPPR) calculator is now live on APTA's Medicare webpage. From now until March 31, PTs must follow an MPPR policy that implements a 50% payment reduction to the practice expense value of approximately 44 codes, with payment calculated based on code combinations. The APTA calculator is designed to help PTs identify those payments.

The baseline payment formulas now in place are temporary ones, intended to provide Congress with time to take action to extend, modify, or end the flawed SGR. Last year, legislators moved closer than ever to eliminating the SGR, and proposals are still being discussed. APTA has created a webpage with detailed information on the proposals.

APTA is actively involved in the SGR reform process and will be asking PTs, physical therapist assistants, educators, patients, and supporters to contact their legislators when Congress is poised to take action on this issue. Members interested in joining APTA’s advocacy efforts to reform the SGR and repeal the therapy cap can sign up for PTeam.