PART B PAYMENT: Fee Schedule Cuts Medicare Pay By 21.2%, Scraps Consults

Why This Topic Matters

These changes affect Medicare reimbursement, service mix, and practice revenue planning for physicians and coding staff. The article is relevant to organizations that bill Medicare Part B and need to understand how physician fee schedule revisions may shift payment across common E/M services and specialty workflows.

Article Sections

1. Fee Schedule Update and Medicare Payment Impact

   Overview of the annual Medicare physician fee schedule update and the expected effect on reimbursement for CY 2010. The section frames the broader payment changes discussed in the article.

2. Elimination of Consultation Codes

   Discussion of the planned removal of consultation services from the Medicare fee schedule and the setting in which those services are affected. The section addresses the policy change at a high level and its relevance to physician practices.

3. Adjustments to Office Visit and Related Evaluation and Management Payments

   Summary of CMS payment adjustments intended to offset other fee schedule changes for office and hospital-based evaluation and management services. The section notes that some specialties may be affected differently under the final rule.