Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

Question: I'm very confused about what Medicare will pay for ophthalmology physician services starting Jan. 1. Has Congress finally settled on a payment rate for 2010? Illinois Subscriber Answer: Yes and no. Congress has delayed the expected decrease to the conversion factor until March 1, so you can expect fairly constant payment until that time. You'll see changes based on adjusted relative value units (RVUs) for a specific code, not based on the expected large conversion factor reduction -- at least for now. With just days to go until the government slashed the conversion factor by 21.2 percent, Congress stepped in. On Dec. 16, the House of Representatives voted to approve an amendment to HR 3326 (the Dept. of Defense Appropriations Act) that would freeze Medicare payments at current levels through the end of February. The Senate followed suit on Dec. 18 and approved the bill as well. This temporary fix [...]