ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Plan Your 2006 Budget With Care

Medicare payments may dwindle come January

Expect your Medicare payments to shrink in 2006, according to the information in the new Physician Fee Schedule (PFS).

CMS released its 2006 PFS in early November, and it includes an approximate 4.4 percent reduction in the Medicare conversion factor, which--along with the relative value units (RVUs) assigned to individual codes under the fee schedule--determines payments to Medicare providers.

The number you-ve been waiting for: Without congressional action, the conversion for 2006 will equal 36.1770 (down from 37.8975 in 2005).

There's hope: Physician advocates hope that Congress, through the budget reconciliation act, will take action to stem the reduction, but lawmakers have yet to tackle the issue.
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in Revenue Cycle Insider
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more

Other Articles in this issue of

ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

View All