A jobs bill being drafted by Senate negotiators would clarify the definition of hospital-based physician under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's HITECH provisions to allow physicians who practice in hospital-owned outpatient centers and clinics to qualify for federal payment incentives for health information technology. Don May, AHA vice president of policy, said the association "strongly supports" the provision, which would clarify the ARRA language and ensure that CMS does not inappropriately exclude physicians serving patients in outpatient centers from receiving Medicare and Medicaid HIT incentive payments. The draft bill also would delay through Sept. 30 a 21% Medicare payment cut for physicians and extend premium assistance for COBRA benefits through May 31. Among other provisions, the bill would make a technical correction to reimburse critical access hospitals at 101% of their reasonable costs for Method 2 outpatient services, and extend through 2010 expiring Medicare payment provisions related to rural hospitals, long-term care hospitals, the technical component of certain physician pathology services, mental health services and ambulances.