Gastroenterology Coding Alert
Physicians Escape 2004 Conversion-Rate Cut
Medicare reform legislation will increase conversion factor by 1.5 percent Right around Thanksgiving, Congress presented gastroenterologists a gift they could be thankful for in the coming years. Preventing the programmed 4.5 percent conversion-factor decrease scheduled for 2004, Congress announced an increase at the 11th hour, raising the conversion factor by 1.5 percent for 2004 and 2005. Gastro-Specific Procedures Linda Parks, MA, CPC, CMC, CCP, of GI Diagnostics Endoscopy Center in Marietta, Ga., estimates that among the gastroenterology-specific procedures on the new Fee Schedule, 36 showed an increase in RVUs, 19 showed a decrease, and three stayed the same. RVU Increases for 2004 RVU Decreases for 2004 RVUs for New Codes The new fee schedule also includes RVUs for a pair of codes new to gastroenterology for 2004:
The conversion factor will be increased from 36.7856 to about 37.3373. At press time, CMS had not released the exact numbers. This increase is the byproduct of the passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug and Improvement Act, which Congress approved on Nov. 25.
The following chart lists some sample RVU increases and decreases that will affect gastroenterology practices. (Information comes from the "Fully Implemented Facility Total" category on the CMS Physician Fee Schedule Web page.):
2003 RVU: 3.58, 2004: 3.62
2003 RVU: 6.62, 2004: 6.64
2003 RVU: 1.53, 2004: 1.54
2003 RVU: 1.75, 2004: 1.86
2003 RVU: 9.11, 2004: 9.02
biopsy(s) 2003 RVU: 6.10, 2004: 5.94
2003 RVU: 5.62, 2004: 5.52
2003 RVU: 7.02, 2004: 6.84
2003 RVU: 6.65, 2004: 6.46
2003 RVU: 8.69, 2004: 8.51
RVU: 5.86
Gastroenterology Coding Alert
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