decisionhealth Newsletters, Part B News - 1999 Issue 11 (November)
2000 fee schedule: HCFA sets conversion factor at $36.6137; issues final fee schedule and RVUs in Nov. 2 Federal Register
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Article Overview
This article covers the 2000 Medicare physician fee schedule final update issued by HCFA, with emphasis on the annual conversion factor, relative value unit changes, budget-neutral adjustments, and selected service payment comparisons. It is relevant to physicians, coders, practice managers, and reimbursement staff who track Medicare payment policy, fee schedule revisions, and specialty-level payment impacts. The piece also notes selected administrative and preventive service payment changes and discusses modifier-related timing issues in a general way.
Why This Topic Matters
Medicare fee schedule updates can affect reimbursement across a wide range of services and specialties. Understanding the year-over-year changes helps billing and coding teams anticipate payment shifts and review how policy updates may affect office, facility, and preventive services.
Article Sections
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Fee schedule update overview
Summarizes the 2000 Medicare physician fee schedule update and the broad payment context surrounding the annual change. Discusses the overall direction of payment changes and the policy factors that influenced the update.
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Update factors and budget neutrality
Describes the general components that contributed to the fee schedule update, including resource-based adjustments and budget-neutral policy considerations. Also references broad service categories affected by payment changes.
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Highlights from the 2000 fee schedule
Provides a high-level summary of selected policy and reimbursement changes affecting different settings and service groups. Includes general notes on facility-related payment treatment, preventive testing, and specialty payment trends.
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1999 vs. 2000 Medicare allowables for selected codes
Presents a comparison table of selected physician fee schedule allowables across office and out-of-office settings. The table is included to illustrate payment movement for a small set of representative services.
What You Will Learn
- What the 2000 Medicare physician fee schedule update covered
- How annual payment updates were described in the article
- Which broad policy factors influenced the fee schedule change
- What kinds of service and specialty payment trends were highlighted
- How selected allowables changed between 1999 and 2000
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing specialists
- Revenue cycle staff
- Practice managers
- Physician groups
- Healthcare reimbursement analysts
Codes Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
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