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2007 Medicare physician fee schedule finalized

November 1, 2006

CMS is spinning the 5% cut in physician payments under the 2007 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule by emphasizing the increases in the RVU work component for E&M services. 

Formula-driven cuts have been mandated for each year since 2002, but Congress has overriden itself annually with one-time increases, and may well do so again after next week’s elections.  (See earlier post here.)  The rule went "on display" today, is scheduled to be published December 1, and will be effective January 1.  The display copy is available here. 

Update 12/4/06: The rule was published Friday in the Federal Register.

See the CMS press release for other highlights, including:

  • Expanded coverage for certain preventive services, as required by the DRA
  • Physician office imaging reimbursement capped at hospital payment levels, per the DRA (these cuts could be rolled back by pending legislation; see earlier post here)
  • Adoption of IDTF supplier standards
  • Adoption of ambulance fee schedule inflation adjustment factor of 4.8%
  • Clarification of the Specialty Care Transport rules 

— David Harlow

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Filed Under: CMS, Diagnostic Imaging, Emergency Medical Services, Health Law, IDTF, Medicare, Physicians

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Trackbacks

  1. HealthBlawg says:
    November 8, 2006 at 3:13 pm

    Can you say “interfacility”? SCT rule gets changed again

    CMS has addressed the definition of specialty care transport (SCT) yet again in the recent final rule mostly devoted to the 2007 Medicare physician fee schedule (on display November 1, 2006, to be published December 1, 2006, effective January 1,

  2. HealthBlawg says:
    December 8, 2006 at 10:03 pm

    Looks like the Medicare pay cut for physicians will be cut, as expected

    The Washington Postand Modern Healthcarereported today that a massive tax bill coming out of committee yesterday includes provisions that would reverse the 5% Medicare 2007 rate cut for physicians, and establish a 1.5% incentive increase for those who …

  3. HealthBlawg says:
    February 14, 2007 at 12:50 pm

    IDTF requirements tightened up in latest CMS transmittal

    CMS manual changes released at the end of last month (effective February 26, 2007) go beyond the scope of CMS regulations regarding IDTFs that were finalized in December by adding a number of substantive requirements. (See HealthBlawg post with link

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