Medicare Payment Update for 2014
As Congress deliberates significant reforms of Medicare payments for physicians, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the final fee schedule for calendar year 2014. In the final schedule, CMS abandoned a payment revision that would have significantly reduced rates of pay for certain cancer diagnostic tests and radiation oncology services. At the same time, the agency says that it is still considering the plan to reduce these payments and will seek additional comment on that proposal in the future.
In the 2014 schedule, CMS announced its intention to establish a new code for the coordination of care for those with complex chronic conditions in 2015. According to CMS, this code could be utilized for coordination of care that does not include a face-to-face visit. NCCS will offer additional advice to CMS regarding the utilization of this code by physicians who are involved in cancer survivorship care. These comments are due to CMS by January 27, 2014.
