Drug Payments: Medicare Slashes Drugs By Up To 60 Percent

Why This Topic Matters

Payment updates can affect claim accuracy, retroactive billing, and revenue cycle management for practices that administer Part B drugs. The article helps readers understand that some drugs decreased sharply, others increased, and a coding transition occurred for IVIG.

Article Sections

1. Payment changes for Medicare Part B drugs

   An overview of the updated Medicare drug reimbursement changes taking effect in 2005, including broad categories of decreases and increases across commonly billed drugs.

2. Retroactive adjustments and affected drugs

   Discussion of changes that were applied retroactively and the implications for previously paid claims. The section identifies multiple drug categories and payment shifts without detailing coding decisions.

3. New IVIG codes on the table

   A summary of CMS guidance announcing new coding for intravenous immune globulin and the transition away from prior billing structure. The section covers the general coding update and payment direction for the new IVIG categories.