Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

Who Were the Winners and Losers in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule?

Published on Mon Nov 28, 2016

Conversion Factor. Physicians can expect a slight increase this year with the conversion factor going up from $35.8043 in 2016 to an estimated $35.8887 for 2017. However, this miniscule rise in the conversion factor is more of a “budget neutrality adjustment,” explains the MPFS report.

Rundown. As CMS integrates MACRA-backed ideologies, quality care that puts the patient first continues to influence policies, payments, and fees. This approach is evident in the 2017 Medicare Fee Schedule and is specifically highlighted in the estimated impact on total allowable charges in the Federal Register report.

Who Came Out Ahead and Who Fell Behind

Family practitioners lead the pack with an estimated combined impact of one percent while independent labs look to see the biggest declines.

Here’s a look at the biggest impacts on specialties and their estimated increases and decreases for the CY 2017:

(Data from TABLE 52: CY 2017 PFS Estimated Impact on Total Allowed Charges by Specialty)

Status quo. A majority of providers will see very little difference with the estimated fee changes for CY 2017, but may feel the impact of the revaluation of codes and services under the Final Rule.