Leverage the power of your membership! With joint OHFAMA and APMA membership, you have the power of APMA at your fingertips. APMA has created timely shutdown resources to keep you informed about how the shutdown will impact you and your practice.
APMA Resources
Unfortunately, Congress was unable to reach a funding consensus before the end of the federal fiscal year (September 30), and the US federal government shut down as of 12:01 a.m. on October 1. During a shutdown, non-essential federal employees are furloughed, and many government services are paused until funding is restored. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has created a comprehensive FAQ for reference, but APMA has captured the main concerns on their shutdown page. APMA consultant Hart Health Strategies has also compiled an extensive resource document addressing the shutdown impact.
The APMA Shutdown page contains resources on how this will impact your practice and telehealth extension updates.
CMS Update
On October 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Medicare Learning Network (MLN) Connects Newsletter highlighting that it has directed all Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to continue holding all Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) claims with dates of service on or after October 1, 2025. As CMS explained in its initial announcement, the claims hold “prevents the need for reprocessing large volumes of claims should Congress act after the statutory expiration date” to extend certain statutory provisions that have expired, including certain telehealth flexibilities.
Providers may continue to submit these claims, but payment will not be released until the hold is lifted. APMA encourages members to continue to check their MAC websites and this CMS website for up-to-date information about Medicare claims processing.