Practice Management Alert

Bonus: CMS increases pay for office visit codes. Every year, practices wait for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule release to find out what to expect for the coming year. The news this year isn't all good. Here's what you need to know about the fee schedule to prepare your practice for potentially negative effects of the 2010 changes. Keep Your Eye on the 2010 Conversion Factor Get ready for another year of nail biting to find out if your Medicare payments will be slashed. "The update to the physician fee schedule conversion factor is "21.2 percent for CY 2010, notes the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, printed in the Nov. 25 Federal Register. Traditionally, Congress has stepped in to reverse such dramatic cuts before they take place, but unless that happens this year, you'll face a conversion factor of $28.4061 effective Jan. 1, according to calculations [...]