As a reporter, there's almost nothing more frustrating than having to find a way to write that the news you've been waiting for just doesn't exist. So I can only imagine how physicians will accept Medicare after waking up today--15 days after a 21 percent pay cut technically began--to learn that nothing definitive has been decided in the near or short term.

Sure, CMS has generously offered, rather than paying you a reduced rate, to not pay you at all until the end of this week. Perhaps, this time, Congress will manage to finalize legislation before you are, once and for all, expected to submit claims for one-fifth less than you have been getting paid.

The most up-to-date information I can give you comes from the digitized rumor mill known as Twitter. After the Senate adjourned for the day Tuesday, murmurs of a seven-month--rather than 11-month--fix flittered under the #docfix hashtag. Around 10 p.m. D.C., time, Mark Hayes, health policy director and chief health counsel for the Senate Finance Committee Republican staff, wrote, "After [Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) amendment] falls to budget point of order, expect scaled back package and [Nevada Senator Harry Reid] will then file cloture on the new proposal." We will have to wait and see what becomes of this chatter over the next couple of days.

But while action in the Senate continued to stall this week, the American Medical Association's annual meeting resulted in the induction of new AMA president, Cecil B. Wilson, MD, as well as some new policies the group intends to get cracking on immediately. One measure that will be interesting to follow is intended to address the 'Medicare meltdown' caused by a 21 percent Medicare physician payment cut, according to the AMA, which voted to immediately formulate legislation for a new Medicare payment option. According to the press release, this new option would allow patients and physicians to freely contract for payments that differ from the Medicare schedule, while allowing patients to use their Medicare benefits.

Essentially anything could happen between now and our next press time, when I hope I'll get to print something, as perverse as it may be, along the lines of "Medicare physicians dance in streets over temporary 2 percent pay raise." In the meantime, you can follow me @PracticeMgt, where I'll be sure to pass along whatever snippets (and complete stories, too) I find before we meet again. - Deb