5 tips to help tighten your belt while pay is flat

Why This Topic Matters

The piece helps readers understand where payment opportunities and operational pressures may shift in a given fee schedule year and why coding, billing, and staffing choices can affect revenue. It is especially relevant to practices that report evaluation and management services, pain procedures, anesthesia services, and services involving non-physician practitioners.

Article Sections

1. Payment updates and procedure coding changes

   Discusses Medicare fee changes and related reimbursement issues affecting selected pain management, anesthesia, and evaluation and management services. Also touches on coverage concerns and prior code-reporting practices.

2. Ambulatory surgery center opportunities

   Summarizes selected procedures added to the ambulatory surgery center list and notes their broader payment context for practice owners and facility operators.

3. Reducing overhead and expenses

   Covers general strategies for lowering operating costs, managing supplies and administrative expenses, and avoiding reductions that could affect care delivery or revenue cycle performance.

4. Finding new opportunities and using staff effectively

   Explores practice growth ideas, including adding support personnel, using emerging technology, and improving workflow efficiency.

5. Using non-physician practitioners effectively

   Reviews how non-physician practitioners may fit into chronic pain practice workflows and discusses broader staffing and billing considerations at a high level.

6. Impact on commonly billed E/Ms

   Presents a comparative fee table for selected evaluation and management services across two fee schedule years.