Regulatory Update: The 2013 Medicare Fee Schedule Proposed Rule Estimates Emergency Medicine Payments Will Decrease by One Percent Next Year.

Why This Topic Matters

Proposed Medicare payment and quality-reporting changes can affect emergency department reimbursement, documentation workflows, and measure selection. Understanding the scope of these updates helps coding and compliance teams prepare for policy shifts before they take effect.

Article Sections

1. Overview of proposed Medicare fee schedule changes

   Introduces the main policy items of interest in the proposed rule and frames the expected payment impact for emergency medicine. It also references the federal agencies and industry context behind the update.

2. Review This New Code For Care Coordination

   Summarizes proposed transitional care and care coordination policy changes, including a new HCPCS code concept and related care management considerations. It also mentions related CMS implementation context and professional coding work groups.

3. Prepayment review audit changes

   Describes the proposed expansion of contractor review authority and the potential effect on prepayment medical review activity. The section is focused on compliance oversight rather than service-level coding detail.

4. Nix Most Frequently Reported ED PQRS Measures

   Covers proposed PQRS reporting policy for the year, including retention of reporting periods and possible elimination of certain emergency medicine measures. It explains the reporting environment and measure-set changes at a high level.

5. Big dent

   Discusses the proposed impact of removing commonly used emergency department quality measures and notes which related measures remain under consideration. The section stays centered on reporting implications and measure availability.

6. Check Out Additional Telehealth Uses

   Lists additional telehealth service categories proposed for expansion under Medicare. The discussion is limited to broad coverage areas and policy scope.