November 28, 2016 CRT Stakeholders and Friends, Language to extend the current delay in Medicare cuts to CRT power wheelchair accessories to July 1, 2017 has been added to legislation to be considered this week. The House of Representatives has included a 6-month extension in the "21st Century Cures Act", a 996-page bill relating to medical/healthcare research, innovation, and treatment. The Cures Act is expected to be voted on this week in the House of Representatives and once passed it will go to the Senate for their vote, likely next week. Should it be passed by both chambers, it would then go to the President for signing. As we've reported, our challenge was to get attached to a larger bill. So it is good news we are in a bill that will be voted on in lame duck. The not-so-good news is it does not expand the delay to CRT manual wheelchair accessories. The reality is, given the difficult and limited year-end legislative environment, our supporters worked hard to get the best relief achievable. The 6-month period kept the CRT legislation cost down and most importantly allows time for next year's new Administration/Congress to pursue a permanent fix through policy or legislation. The Cures Act also includes Competitive Bidding "rural relief" language that would retroactively rescind the broad DME July 1, 2016 Medicare cuts until January 1, 2017. Providers would be able to recoup CB payment reductions incurred for dates of service from July 1 to December 31, 2016. The rescinded payment cuts would go back into effect on January 1, 2017. Getting a CRT delay included in the Cures Act is only the first step. Now the bill must be passed in the House and Senate, which is not an automatic process. We need to stay engaged as things move ahead. We will provide further updates as we move through this week. Regards, Don Donald E. Clayback Executive Director | NCART Office 716-839-9728 | Cell 716-913-4754 dclayback@ncart.us |www.ncart.us