Your Medicare payments will fall by 27.4% in 2012, under a conversion factor of $24.6712, which is slightly less than the 29.5% cut projected by CMS earlier under the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. The difference is due to Medicare costs growing slightly slower than expected, the agency says. Of course, this 27.4% cut isn’t the final word, because Congress has always stepped in at the last minute to avert SGR cuts.

You now have official answers from CMS on some of the trickiest meaningful use questions around, including just how much clinical data you need to record and how to record measures for providers who use electronic health records (EHRs) in multiple locations. The answers, some complete, some barely helpful, are now on CMS’s frequently asked questions (FAQ) page at https://questions.cms.hhs.gov/. Here’s a rundown on the latest ones for meaningful use.

A total of around 89,000 providers have been sent revalidation notices so far, top CMS officials said in an open door call this afternoon (Oct. 27). That makes up about 6% of the 1.5 million providers who are impacted by the latest revalidation initiative. Those 89,000 letters were mailed by Medicare contractors in the last half of September, said Mark Majestic, a CMS official.

You’ll face less risk and fewer administrative hassles if you choose to participate in an accountable care organization (ACO), thanks to changes made in the final ACO rule, released today in the Federal Register. CMS took pains to review feedback from physician advocacy groups and believes the final rule takes many of their biggest concerns into account, top agency officials said during a conference call with reporters.

Primary care providers will get additional revenue opportunities soon thanks to new Medicare coverage determinations for alcohol misuse and depression, CMS announced in a press release Oct. 14. Medicare will cover screening for alcohol misuse and behavioral counseling for those found to be misusing alcohol. Depression screening will be covered for primary care practices that have “staff resources to follow up” with treatments and referrals, the agency said.