REIMBURSEMENT: Good News For Anesthesiologists, Bad News For Everyone Else

Why This Topic Matters

The proposal could affect reimbursement across multiple specialties and practice settings, as well as reporting and compliance workflows. Readers can use the article to understand which operational areas CMS is revising and whether the changes may affect their specialty or billing processes.

Article Sections

1. Overview of the proposed physician fee schedule

   Introduces the scope of the CMS proposal and summarizes the broad payment impact across specialties and services.

2. Payment and RVU changes

   Covers proposed adjustments to physician payment levels, work RVUs, and specialty-specific reimbursement effects.

3. Part B drug payment methodology

   Describes updates to how Medicare would calculate payments for certain drugs and account for reported pricing information.

4. Quality reporting updates

   Summarizes proposed quality measures and their connection to Medicare’s physician quality reporting program.

5. IVIG

   Addresses continued Medicare payment for pre-admission services related to intravenous immunoglobulin and the use of a temporary billing code.

6. Geographic index

   Discusses revisions to the geographic practice cost index and the use of updated data in payment calculations.

7. Therapy

   Covers proposed requirements affecting physical and occupational therapy practice qualifications and care-plan certification timeframes.

8. Imaging

   Summarizes proposed limits on the technical component of imaging services and related application to additional service types.

9. Reporting

   Notes reporting requirements tied to laboratory values when certain drugs are supplied in the oncology setting.

10. Compliance

    Describes proposed changes to physician self-referral compliance policies and restrictions affecting certain practice billing arrangements.

11. E-prescribing

    Explains proposed standards affecting computer-generated faxes and their relationship to electronic prescription workflows.