Former Republican Congressional candidate Dr. George Flinn, who wrote President Trump asking him to instruct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to amend the Obama-era regulation that were used against a beloved West Tennessee family physician, released a statement on Tuesday that he was “glad to play a small role in the restoration of Medicare billing privileges to Dr. Bryan Merrick, the family physician based in McKenzie, Tennessee:
Congratulations to Dr. Merrick, his staff and the city of McKenzie. Ensuring that Dr. Merrick is able to continue serving his patients is an absolute victory, especially in a time when the patient-doctor relationship is dissolving due to government overreach and over regulation.
Any help that was provided in writing a letter to President Trump, I was more than happy to do. I’m glad I was able to play a small role in doing the right thing and making sure patients continue to have access to Dr. Merrick.
“Federal officials have restored Medicare billing privileges to Dr. Bryan Merrick, whose McKenzie Medical Center is located in the small West Tennessee city of McKenzie,” The Tennessee Star reported on Tuesday:
The Tennessee Star led the way in reporting on the story of the well respected West Tennessee family practice doctor whose Medicare billing privileges were revoked in March under an Obama-era regulation over a reported $670 in billing errors.
“Dr. Bryan Merrick has received word from federal officials that they are reversing an earlier decision to block Dr. Merrick from serving Medicare patients,” according to a statement released by the Office of Attorney Roy Herron on Tuesday,
Flinn was one of many Tennesseans who called on CMS to reverse its decision to revoke Dr. Merrick’s Medicare billing priviliges, as The Star reported:
Late last month, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) called on Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) to hold hearings at the Senate Finance Committee he chairs to consider revoking the regulation.
Earlier in October, McKenzie, Tennessee Mayor Jill Holland wrote a letter to Senator Alexander asking him to hold hearings of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee he chairs to consider revoking the regulation, but Alexander noted that Hatch’s Senate Finance Committee has jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid issues.
