Fee schedule round-up: Conversion factor cut, PAs freed and more

Why This Topic Matters

These annual fee schedule changes can affect reimbursement, billing workflows, documentation, supervision requirements, and service availability across multiple specialties and practice settings. The roundup helps readers quickly identify which policy areas warrant closer review in the full rule or in their own billing operations.

Article Sections

1. Physician fee schedule

   Summarizes the annual physician fee schedule update and related payment policy context for CY2022.

2. E/M and teaching physicians

   Covers CMS updates affecting evaluation and management billing in teaching physician settings and resident-related encounters.

3. CMS slims therapy assistant reduction

   Describes changes affecting physical therapy and occupational therapy assistant payment adjustments and related modifiers.

4. PAs approved for direct-billing

   Explains a payment policy change affecting physician assistants and service payment assignment under Medicare.

5. Additional news and notes

   Collects several other Medicare payment, coverage, and reporting updates spanning vaccines, nutrition therapy, imaging, prevention programs, pulmonary rehab, rural clinics, telehealth, drug reporting, supply pricing, coverage decisions, and electronic prescribing.