Part B News | Editors' Blog

CMS: Expect 2012 fee schedule proposed rule very soon

by: Grant Huang Jun 28, 2011

CMS is putting the finishing touches on its proposed 2012 Physician Fee Schedule and expects to release it "very shortly," in the words of Stewart Streimer, director of the agency's Provider Billing Group. This vague hint was one of the first announcements Streimer made during today's physician open door call.

Debt may sink your quality incentive program bonus check

by: Charles Fiegl Jan 28, 2011

Have you found that your quality reporting bonus checks are lower than you expected?

CMS says your incentive payments from the Physician Quality Reporting System and Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program are subject to offsets. The agency explains that it may reduce quality program bonus payments for any outstanding debt linked to your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).

CMS delays requirement for signatures on labs

by: Grant Huang Jan 10, 2011

CMS is freezing a rule that would require your physicians and non-physician providers (NPPs) to sign requisitions for lab tests. This requirement, introduced in the 2011 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule, was to take effect Jan. 1, 2011 and would've applied to all lab tests paid under the clinical laboratory fee schedule. We covered this issue of lab signatures in a recent edition of the NPP Report.

More on AWV, end-of-life care planning

by: Charles Fiegl Jan 10, 2011

CMS has gone through an expedited rule making process to remove the voluntary end-of-life care provision from annual wellness visits (AWV). Part B News subscribers can read our full coverage of this story, but here is CMS's full explanation for why it is scrubbing end-of-life care from the services.

"... we published the proposed rule entitled 'Medicare Program; Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2011.' In response to this publication, we received comments from health care providers, and others urging us to add voluntary advance care planning as a specified element of the definitions of both the 'first annual wellness visit' and the 'subsequent annual wellness visit.' The commenters stated that their recommendations were based upon a number of recent research studies, and the inclusion by the Medicare initial preventive physical examination (IPPE) provisions of a similar element in the existing IPPE benefit.

Report: White House cuts end-of-life plan from AWV

by: Charles Fiegl Jan 5, 2011

A New York Times report says the Obama administration is removing the end-of-life care planning component to the new annual wellness visit (AWV) service.

The end-of-life plan, which is voluntary and requires patient consent, is just one of several parts to the service. The planning was added in the finalized 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, but it was not included in the proposed rule released in July.

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said on Wednesday that this prevented the public from commenting on the provision during the rulemaking process.

CMS and HHS would not comment on the report Wednesday morning. Also, CMS had not issued any guidance on removing the component to the service.

Login

User Name:
Password:
Remember me Forgot password
Welcome to the new Part B News Online. If you are a returning user having trouble logging in, please click here.

Your new password should have at least 6 characters.
Current Password
New Password
Confirm Password