'07 Medicare CF to stay flat; anesthesia CF to increase

Why This Topic Matters

The article helps anesthesia and pain practices track Medicare payment updates that can affect reimbursement, compliance monitoring, and planning for the year ahead. It also highlights related Medicare policy provisions and quality-reporting topics that may influence practice operations.

Article Sections

1. Medicare conversion factor and anesthesia update

   This section summarizes the corrected Medicare fee schedule update and its effect on anesthesia payment calculations. It also references related budget neutrality and adjustment information.

2. RACs

   This section discusses the Recovery Audit Contractor program and its expansion in the Medicare environment. It places the audit activity in the context of the broader payment changes described in the article.

3. Extended: Rural GPCI, therapy caps

   This section covers additional Medicare policy extensions included in the conversion factor freeze discussion. It focuses on broader payment-related provisions rather than procedure-level details.

4. No change in teaching rule

   This section addresses a teaching-anesthesia payment policy issue involving medical direction and resident coverage. It notes how the article frames this rule within the fee schedule correction.

5. How your revised 2007 anesthesia CF is calculated

   This section presents the calculation framework for the revised anesthesia conversion factor. It includes the components used in the updated fee schedule math.

6. 2006 vs. revised 2007 fees for select pain codes

   This section compares selected pain-related procedure fees across 2006 and revised 2007 values. It is presented as a reference table tied to the updated Medicare payment figures.