AMC/NOMA has learned that the "Dear Doctor" letter about the "open enrollment" period for practices that want to cease participating in the Medicare program next year is being withheld due to the delay in the publication of the final 2003 physician fee schedule. If you're a participating practice, letters are normally sent out in mid-November and physicians have until the end of the year to notify their carrier if they do not want to participate in Medicare the following year.Because CMS delayed publication of the physician fee schedule beyond the Nov. 1 due date, citing questionable anesthesia data that could lower the 2003 conversion factor beyond the 4.4% the letters have been delayed. It is still unclear when the fee schedule will be published.