Reimbursement: Find Out the 2021 MPFS Winners and Losers

Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.

Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by AAPC. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This article reviews the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and its expected reimbursement effects across specialties. It discusses the conversion factor change, the role of RVUs and GPCIs, the impact of office/outpatient E/M revisions, budget neutrality, sequestration timing, and related Medicare policy and legislative developments. The piece is relevant to clinicians, coders, billers, compliance staff, and practice managers who track Medicare payment policy and specialty-level financial impacts.

Why This Topic Matters

Medicare fee schedule changes can materially affect payment across many services and specialties, especially when revisions in one area trigger broader adjustments. Understanding the policy context helps practices anticipate reimbursement shifts and monitor changes affecting office visits, procedures, and overall revenue.

Article Sections

  1. 2021 MPFS payment changes and conversion factor update

    Overview of the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule and the broader payment impact of the conversion factor change.

  2. How RVUs and geographic adjustments affect payment

    Discussion of the components used in Medicare payment calculations and how geographic adjustments factor into the process.

  3. Specialty reimbursement outlook for CY 2021

    General discussion of which specialties are expected to see gains or declines under the 2021 fee schedule.

  4. Rule comments, budget neutrality, and legislative responses

    Summary of stakeholder comments on the final rule, CMS responses, and proposed congressional measures related to Medicare payment relief.

What You Will Learn

  • How the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule affected overall payment policy
  • The relationship between RVUs, geographic adjustments, and the conversion factor
  • Why some specialties were expected to benefit while others faced reductions
  • How budget neutrality and sequestration influenced the 2021 reimbursement outlook
  • What policy and legislative responses were discussed in connection with the final rule

Who Should Read This

  • Medical coders
  • Billing and reimbursement staff
  • Practice managers
  • Compliance professionals
  • Physicians and specialty practices
  • Health policy analysts

Codes Discussed

  • CPT: 99202
  • CPT: 99215
  • HCPCS Level II: G2211

Code Ranges Discussed

  • CPT: 99202-99215

Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.

Keep pace with evolving Medicare regulations — and onboard your team — with timely analysis of critical updates interpreted in an easy-to-follow, easy-to-apply format. Your subscription to TCI's Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement Alert will equip you to navigate code and guideline changes, CCI edits, and revisions to modifiers, payer policies, the fee schedule, OIG target areas, and more.

  • Current newsletters added each month
  • Fully searchable archives - over 4200 articles
  • ALL years/issues back to 2003 organized by year and issue
  • Codes mentioned in articles are linked to Code Information pages
  • Code Information pages link back to related articles

This feature is currently unavailable for online purchase. For more information, please call 801-770-4203 or Contact Us.

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.

Aimee- AI -powered coding assistant - Try it now for Free Would you like Aimee - AI
to help you with this?