Breaking news: Proposals step around pay cut, offer payment for chronic care management

Why This Topic Matters

The proposed changes could affect physician reimbursement, reporting obligations, telehealth coverage, therapy billing, preventive screening access, and compliance processes across multiple specialties and practice settings.

Article Sections

1. Fee schedule outlook and rulemaking timeline

   Summarizes the proposed rule’s overall payment context and the announced comment and finalization schedule. It frames the broad Medicare physician payment environment for the year ahead.

2. Chronic care management payment proposals

   Covers proposed payment policies for non-face-to-face chronic care management services. It also notes broad eligibility and practice requirements described in the rule.

3. Telehealth and transitional care management

   Describes proposed additions to Medicare telehealth coverage involving transitional care management services. The section focuses on the service categories under consideration.

4. PQRS and EHR incentive reporting changes

   Reviews proposed updates to quality reporting under PQRS and electronic health record incentive programs. It addresses reporting structure, measure volume, and related participation concepts.

5. Misvalued codes, therapy caps, and incident-to policy

   Covers several payment and compliance topics, including proposed adjustments to misvalued services, therapy cap treatment, and clarifications affecting incident-to services.

6. Overpayments, IDE rules, screening coverage, and chiropractic payment

   Summarizes additional proposals involving overpayment timeframes, investigational device exemption coverage review, preventive screening access, and potential future consideration of chiropractic billing issues.