2014 fee schedule: Fee schedule delivers reduced cut for hip & knee arthroplasties, big cut for ultrasound

Why This Topic Matters

Fee schedule updates can affect reimbursement, operational planning, and compliance across several service lines. Practices that bill Medicare may need to understand which areas changed, when changes take effect, and what policy shifts may affect billing workflows or patient access.

Article Sections

1. Overview of 2014 Medicare physician fee schedule changes

   Introduces the fee schedule update and its broad effects on orthopedic reimbursement and other Medicare-paid services. Summarizes the context for the 2014 rule and timing of release.

2. Orthopedic procedure payment changes

   Discusses payment changes affecting hip, knee, partial knee, and lesion destruction services, with emphasis on the role of relative value unit updates. Includes discussion of CMS and specialty society input.

3. Ultrasound needle guidance payment change

   Covers the major payment revision for a commonly used imaging guidance service and the practice expense factors behind the change. Explains that the article ties the update to equipment and time assumptions.

4. Conversion factor and evaluation and management updates

   Reviews how budget neutrality affects the physician conversion factor and notes the broader impact on evaluation and management services. Provides selected examples of flat or changing office and hospital visit payments.

5. Effective dates and additional policy changes

   Summarizes when fee schedule provisions take effect and outlines several non-fee policy updates included in the final rule. Covers incident-to rules, overpayment recovery timeframes, IDE standards, and therapy cap changes.