Physician payment for the Medicare program continues to evolve. For many years the MPFS (Medicare Physician Fee Schedule) used RBRVS (Resource-Based Relative Value Scale) along with annually adjusted conversion factor to determine payment for physicians. Today there are many changes occurring in different directions. The sustainable growth factor (SGF) is being replaced by various directives in MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act) including MIPS (Merit-Based Incentive Payment System). While the new approaches (models) emphasize the value of services, CMS is also doing away with the GSP (Global Surgical Package) and making changes for payment and documentation of certain E/M (Evaluation and Management) codes. Throw into the mix the changes that are occurring with telehealth and provider-based clinics and it is little wonder that the whole are of physician payment for the Medicare program can be confusing.
General knowledge of coding billing and reimbursement.
Duane C. Abbey, Ph.D., is a management consultant and president of Abbey & Abbey, Consultants, Inc. that specializes in health care consulting and related areas. His firm is based in Ames, Iowa. Dr. Abbey earned his graduate degrees at the University of Notre Dame and IowaStateUniversity specializing in mathematics and computer science. Dr. Abbey has published many articles in a variety of professional publications. Also, he has published more than a dozen books on healthcare topics for publishers such as McGraw-Hill, HCPro and Francis & Taylor. Dr. Abbey works extensively in all areas relating to coding, billing and reimbursement. This includes various payment systems, provider-based clinics, HIPAA privacy and security, and revenue enhancement for hospitals and clinics. He has worked extensively with physicians and hospitals. And, yes, his favorite reading material is the Federal Register!
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