2013 Medicare fee schedule needs work, AMA says

The proposed 2013 Medicare physician fee schedule needs more work, the American Medical Association (AMA) told the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Although the AMA says the schedule is a mark of progress and commended CMS for proposing to pay for a variety of care coordination services in its latest proposed rule, AMA is urging the agency to continue to work on key provisions of the proposal to ease growing burdens on physicians.

Some of the key changes AMA would like:

• removing a proposal to reduce payment for certain procedures performed on the same day,

• striking a proposal to pay certified registered nurse anesthetists for chronic pain management services, and

• allowing physicians in the Group Reporting Option of the Physician Quality Reporting System to also report on measures to meet the program requirements as individuals.

These suggestions are in addition to a number recommendations AMA made to CMS in March 2012 that still have not been included in the proposed rule.

A final rule is expected by November 1.

Get the details of what the fee schedule will mean for physicians in the September 10, 2012, issue of Medical Economics.

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