CMA recently filed a RICO lawsuit compliance dispute, objecting to Blue Cross's failure to provide physicians with timely access to its new fee schedule, originally scheduled to take effect June 1. As part of its RICO settlement, Blue Cross agreed to provide physicians with greater notice of policy and procedure changes.

Blue Cross's failure left many physicians unable to assess the financial impact that the fee schedule changes would have on their practices. Last month, the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) forced Blue Cross to delay implementation of the new fee schedule and take appropriate measures to notify doctors of the rate changes. The insurer, as part of the RICO compliance dispute process, yesterday agreed to further delay implementation to allow

CMA has published a Blue Cross of California Survival Kit to help you assess the impact fee schedule changes will have on your practice based on your most commonly billed CPT codes.

Contact: CMA's reimbursement help line, 888/401-5911 or jblack@cmanet.org.