PHYSICAN FEE SCHEDULE UPDATE ~ Find Out Why Your ED E/Ms Will Be Worth More in 2007

Why This Topic Matters

Fee schedule updates can change relative payment levels across commonly billed emergency department services and affect revenue expectations for the year. Understanding the scope of the Medicare changes helps coding and billing teams evaluate documentation, reimbursement trends, and the financial impact on emergency medicine practices.

Article Sections

1. CMS updates to the 2007 physician fee schedule

   Introduces the Medicare fee schedule update and frames the payment changes affecting emergency medicine and other specialties.

2. Emergency department E/M RVU changes

   Summarizes the revised work value adjustments for emergency department evaluation and management services and the overall direction of those changes.

3. Documentation and coding considerations

   Discusses the importance of supporting the assigned service level with documentation and highlights the need for accurate code selection in emergency department claims.

4. Critical care RVU updates

   Covers the fee schedule updates affecting critical care reimbursement and places them alongside the ED E/M changes.

5. Conversion factor and budget neutrality effects

   Explains how Medicare’s conversion factor and related budget adjustments influence the net effect of the fee schedule update.

6. Overall revenue outlook for emergency medicine

   Provides the article’s broader discussion of expected reimbursement trends for emergency departments compared with other specialties.