Medicare has fixed dollar amount limits they will allow for certain services. One of those services is physical therapy. If a Medicare patient has a stroke there are many physical therapy components that are usually needed by the patient. They need to work on mobility and speech and improving their daily living. If a small provider has been paid by Medicare for services rendered it can really impact their bottom-line when they are asked to pay it back because the amount exceeded the Medicare limit.
A provider can wait up to 2 years for a case to be heard because of the back-log. Medicare has suspended hearings for the year as the renew contracts with third party vendors.
Read more about Medicare's back-log here
