Medicare payments to physicians are governed by a statutory formula. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently recalculated the projected reimbursement rate to be proposed for 2007, and arrived at the -5.1% figure. The proposed fee schedule is expected to be published in the Federal Register on August 22 as part of a proposed rule including other suggested policy changes. Comments will be accepted until October 10, and a final rule will be published in the fall.
Other proposals put forth by the CMS include:
- Exempting the colorectal cancer screening benefit from the Part B deductible, eliminating a potential financial barrier to using this benefit.
- Changes in how to consider the bundling of drug discounts and other parameters in calculation of the average sales price on which Part B reimbursement is based.
- Maintain a 25% reduction in payment for the technical component of multiple imaging procedures on contiguous body parts. CMS has indicated that it would increase the reduction to 50% in 2007 but is not proposing to do that at this time.
- Cap payment for multiple imaging procedures to the amount paid when those services are performed in hospital outpatient departments.
- Propose assigning work relative value units to medical nutrition therapy services (CPT codes 97802, 97603, and 97804, and HCPCS codes G0270 and G0271).
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=1939
http://www.accc-cancer.org/MEDIA/media_newsfeed.asp
Recent Comments