Fee schedule: Unless Congress acts, your fees will drop almost 5% next year

Why This Topic Matters

The proposed fee schedule can alter Medicare reimbursement levels and practice expense assumptions for multiple specialty services. Understanding the scope of the proposal helps affected practices assess financial impact, prepare comments, and track policy changes before the final rule takes effect.

Article Sections

1. Overview of projected Medicare fee schedule impact

   Summarizes the proposed Medicare physician payment changes for the coming year and the specialties expected to be affected. Discusses the timing of the proposal, comment period, and expected publication of the final rule.

2. Pain practice RVU and practice expense changes

   Reviews proposed relative value unit and practice expense changes affecting several pain management services. Covers the general categories of affected procedures and the types of office and facility settings discussed in the article.

3. Teaching anesthesiologists: CMS still looking for solutions

   Addresses Medicare policy questions involving teaching anesthesiologists and related resident supervision issues. Includes the organizations and policy concerns raised in the proposal and the request for public comment.

4. To Comment

   Provides submission channels and administrative details for responding to the proposed rule. Includes electronic and mail-based comment instructions.

5. Proposed 2006 changes in Medicare RVUs for key pain management codes

   Presents a comparison table of proposed and prior-year RVUs for selected pain management procedures. The table distinguishes between facility and non-facility settings and includes modifier-specific reporting where applicable.