CMS follows through on feared pay reduction for services
Billers, get ready for even tighter bottom lines in 2006, because steep physician pay cuts are coming. After months of haggling and debate, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released its Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule on Nov. 2.
The release was not good news for physicians- offices. Most notably, the rule states that physicians will receive a 4.4 percent reduction in pay for services, according to CMS.
Effect: In offices whose physicians see a lot of Medicare patients, this change will have a huge impact, experts say.
Find it online: For more information, go to
www.cms.hhs.gov/physicians/default.asp?.