Skip Navigation LinksHome | Editors' Blog
 
Physicians are facing a 10.2% drop in the Medicare conversion factor (CF) starting Jan. 1, as an offset to broad new increases in reimbursement rates for E/M office visits and other E/M-like services, according to the final 2021 Medicare physician fee schedule released Dec. 1.
 
 
The 2021 fee outlook emerged as a key point of discussion at the American Medical Association's (AMA) annual conference, with officials from the AMA and CMS offering divergent signals on what the scope of payment change may look like come Jan. 1.
 
 
The presidential election victory for Joe Biden, who surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to snag the win after voting continued over the weekend, could have significant ramifications within the health care delivery system, and for medical groups specifically.
 
HHS Secretary Alex Azar has reauthorized the declaration of a pubic health emergency (PHE), meaning the PHE and its special rules for providers remain in effect at least through the end of the year.
The Quality Payment Program is delaying a major overhaul planned for 2021: Its MVP (MIPS Value Pathways) upgrade, which was meant to move participants “away from siloed activities and measures and towards an aligned set of measures that are more relevant to a clinician’s scope of practice,” has been delayed due to “stakeholder concerns” and COVID-19. Instead, CMS will make “additions to the framework’s guiding principles and development criteria” for 2022.
 

Login

User Name:
Password:
Welcome to the new Part B News Online. If you are a returning user having trouble logging in, please click here.
Blog Archive
Back to top