Welcome to Medicare visit: Physician lobbying interests attack proposed payment for the service, take aim at scarcity area designations in proposed 2005 physician fee schedule comments

Why This Topic Matters

The article shows how proposed CMS policy changes can affect physician payment, access, claims processing, and compliance across several Medicare service categories. Readers who track fee schedule policy, specialty advocacy, and reimbursement methodology will find the discussion useful for understanding where major stakeholder concerns are concentrated.

Article Sections

1. Payment for the Welcome to Medicare visit

   Stakeholder comments on the proposed payment level and related billing concerns for the new Medicare preventive visit are discussed.

2. Physician Scarcity Areas (PSA)

   This section addresses comments on scarcity area bonus payment policy, eligibility questions, and outreach or publication concerns related to the proposed designations.

3. Face-to-face visit

   Comments are summarized regarding CMS’s interpretation of face-to-face requirements tied to durable medical equipment and related coverage provisions.

4. Average Sales Price (ASP) +6%

   This section covers concerns about drug pricing methodology and timing for implementation of the average sales price approach.

5. Update formula

   The final section reviews comments on the physician payment update formula and the treatment of drug costs within the broader Medicare spending target.