'Tis the season when Medicare unveils its changes for the new year. Although Congress has delayed the 25 percent Medicare cut that would have been effective Jan. 3, 2011, there are still many changes that will affect Medicare reimbursement and regulations for physicians.
Under "Related Content" (see below) you will find stories on these highlights:
- New and updated physician incentives
- Primary care and general surgery bonuses
- ePrescribing incentive changes
- PQRI (now PQRS) changes
- Physician payment calculations, such as the
- Medicare Economic Index (MEI) rebasing
- Some specialties come out ahead and others see payment decreases as changes to Medicare fee components mean significant changes to physician payments
- New covered services, such as the
- New annual wellness visit (in addition to the Welcome to Medicare Exam)
- Out-of-pocket costs for preventive services eliminated
- Limitations in reimbursement for
- Imaging services such as CT, CTA, and MRI
- MPPR extended to therapy services
- New compliance requirements
- Disclosure for physician-owned MRI, CT, and PET services
- Lab requisition signature requirements
- Changes to timely filing and refunds