CMS changes thousands of RVUs in new update to 2010 fee schedule

Why This Topic Matters

Payment updates in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule can affect reimbursement across a wide range of services, especially when small unit changes are multiplied by high service volume. Understanding the scope of these updates helps practices monitor revenue impact and compare changes across service categories.

Article Sections

1. Overview of the 2010 fee schedule update

   Summarizes the scope of the CMS update and the broad payment factors affecting Medicare physician reimbursement. The section explains why the changes were made and how they affect different providers in general terms.

2. Factors affecting reimbursement changes

   Describes the major payment components referenced in the article, including fee schedule conversion and geographic practice cost adjustments. It outlines the general categories of physicians and practices that may see different payment effects.

3. Examples of RVU and payment impact

   Provides selected high-volume service examples showing how the update affects payment amounts across commonly billed codes. This section presents the article's illustrative comparisons and volume-based impact discussion.

4. RVU changes under new 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

   Contains the article's comparison table of selected services and their 2010 payment-related changes. The table is used to illustrate the scope and direction of changes across multiple commonly used codes.