The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released their annual proposal for changes to the Medicare payment system for the coming year, and they also released new information about the existing mandate for the use of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) beginning in 2020. The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Proposed Rule contains not only proposed adjustments to Medicare reimbursement but also proposed changes to the Quality Payment Program (QPP) for 2020 and beyond.
Categories: medicare, medicare reimbursement, MPFS, Quality Payment Program, radiology, QPP
Our review of the proposed 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) showed that 201 Professional Component (PC) codes and 213 Global codes were to be decreased by at least 1% in the Diagnostic Radiology 70000-series of CPT codes. In the final MPFS, only 46 PC codes were reduced by 1% or more, but 280 global codes were reduced by at least 1%. The number of codes expected to increase in payment did not change as dramatically, but in both PC and Global billing fewer codes were increased than we expected. Here are the details:
Categories: radiology reimbursement, interventional radiology, MPFS, radiology, diagnostic radiology
Click here to read our 2024 code changes update article.
Each year there are revisions of Current Procedural Terminology[i] (CPT)® that will impact the way radiology practices code their procedures and, ultimately, how they are reimbursed for those procedures. The majority of CPT code changes in radiology for 2019 are for Interventional Radiology procedures. Those that pertain to diagnostic radiology are in ultrasound, MRI, and nuclear medicine. We’ll cover the diagnostic codes first, and then go into detail on the interventional coding changes.
Categories: medicare, medicare reimbursement, interventional radiology, MPFS, CPT codes, radiology, diagnostic radiology
With the publication of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Final Rule for 2019, which includes the Quality Payment Program (QPP) Final Rule, we can now review how radiologists can prepare to maximize their 2021 Medicare reimbursement through QPP participation in 2019. The QPP includes both the Medicare Incentive-based Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Model (APM) tracks. Since most radiology groups are currently participating in MIPS, we will focus on steps to take for successful participation in this program.
Categories: MPFS, MIPS, Quality Payment Program, radiology, QPP, APM
The final rule for the 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) accepts many of the proposals made earlier this year but some are modified or delayed.
The American College of Radiology (ACR) does a very thorough job of reviewing and commenting on proposed federal legislation such as the annual changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). Their 59-page letter of September 10, 2019 to Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is available on the ACR website for radiologists to review in detail.
Categories: radiology reimbursement, MPFS, radiology
CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is constantly on the lookout for procedure codes that it feels do not reflect the current cost or complexity of practice in their valuation. The annual Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) rule modifies many codes with varying degrees of impact to radiology practices.
Categories: radiology reimbursement, interventional radiology, MPFS, radiology
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has combined its rule making for both the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and the Quality Payment Program (QPP) into one document for its 2019 proposal. This article will summarize the elements of each area that will most affect radiology practices if they are ultimately finalized and become law later this year.
Categories: medicare, medicare reimbursement, MPFS, Quality Payment Program, radiology, QPP
Click here to read our 2024 code changes update article.
The recently issued Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Final Rule for 2018 tells us which of the revisions to the Current Procedural Terminology[i] (CPT)® have been adopted for use in the Medicare system, and how Medicare values those codes. The diagnostic radiology changes are fairly straightforward, but the Interventional Radiology (IR) coding for Endovascular Repair has been drastically altered with 20 new or revised codes.
Categories: medicare, medicare reimbursement, interventional radiology, MPFS, CPT codes, radiology
The regulations that will affect Medicare reimbursement for physician practices in 2018 have been released. They include the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (MPFS), the hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule (OPPS), and the Quality Payment Program Final Rule (QPP).
Categories: medicare, medicare reimbursement, MPFS, QPP, OPPS
