For CY 2022, we are proposing to establish regulations at 410.72 for registered dietitians and nutrition professionals, similar to established regulations for other non-physician practitioners. 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244, Calendar Year (CY) 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule. Lastly, in light of questions we have received from interested parties, we are finalizing as proposed to codify in our regulations, and make certain modifications and clarifications to, the Medicare CLFS travel allowance policies. The research payment format allows CMS to verify that the payment is being delayed correctly. 117-7, requires that, beginning April 1, 2021, independent RHCs and provider-based RHCs in a hospital with 50 or more beds receive an increase in their payment limit per visit over an 8-year period, with a prescribed amount for each year from 2021 through 2028. hbbd```b``+@$Ln`,r~"YwEO0&y$ v;5H[x lN0 = permanently cover and pay for covered monoclonal antibody products used as pre-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of COVID-19 under the Medicare Part B vaccine benefit. The refund amount is the amount of discarded drug that exceeds an applicable percentage, which is required to be at least 10%, of total allowed charges for the drug in a given calendar quarter. Laboratory Fee Schedule - Jan. 1, 2022 - PDF. 2022 Holiday Schedule. The AMA provides final rule summary (PDF) of the 2023 Medicare Physician Payment Schedule and Quality Payment Program (QPP). Thus, CMS proposes a slight decrease in PFS payment rates of 0.14% in CY 2022. Some drugs approved through the pathway established under section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act share similar labeling and uses with generic drugs that are assigned to multiple source drug codes. On November 11, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2022 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. For CY 2023, we are finalizing a number of policies related to Medicare telehealth services, including making several services that are temporarily available as telehealth services for the PHE available at least through CY 2023 in order to allow additional time for the collection of data that may support their inclusion as permanent additions to the Medicare Telehealth Services List. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. CMS finalized the proposal to permit audiologists to bill for this direct access (without a physician or practitioner order) once every 12 months per beneficiary. Sign up to get the latest information about your choice of CMS topics in your inbox. ( Effective for CY 2023, CMS 1) finalized our proposal to clarify and codify certain aspects of the current Medicare FFS payment policies for dental services when that service is an integral part of specific treatment of a beneficiary's primary medical condition, and 2) other clinical scenarios under which Medicare Part A and Part B payment can be made for dental services, such as dental exams and necessary treatments prior to, or contemporaneously with, organ transplants, cardiac valve replacements, and valvuloplasty procedures. In addition to these long-standing covered destinations, rural emergency hospitals (REH) will also be an allowed destination, in accordance with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, effective with services on or after January 1, 2023. The technical component is frequently billed by suppliers, like independent diagnostic testing facilities and radiation treatment centers, while the professional component is billed by the physician or practitioner. We are proposing to expand coverage of outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation services, paid under Medicare Part B, to beneficiaries who were hospitalized with COVID-19 and experience persistent symptoms, including respiratory dysfunction, for at least four weeks after hospitalization. We also included a comment solicitation seeking public input as we develop a more consistent, predictable approach to incorporating new data in setting PFS rates. the requirement that the medical nutrition therapy referral be made by the treating physician and update the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) to reflect current medical practice. In contrast, PFS rates paid to physicians and other billing practitioners in facility settings, such as a hospital outpatient department (HOPD) or an ASC, reflect only the portion of the resources typically incurred by the practitioner in the course of furnishing the service. A federal government website managed and paid for by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. CMS has received a request from the American Indian and Alaska Native community to amend its Medicare regulations to make all IHS- and tribally-operated outpatient facilities/clinics eligible for payment at the Medicare outpatient per visit/AIR, regardless of whether they were owned, operated, or leased by IHS. New Year's Day 2022. Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) fee schedule - 2022. We are exploring how these policies interact with the Shared Savings Programs other benchmarking policies. CMS is proposing revisions to the definition of primary care services that are used for purposes of beneficiary assignment. When the PTA/OTA furnishes eight minutes or more of the final unit of a billing scenario in which the PT/OT furnishes less than eight minutes of the same service. Some places in the U.S. this holiday is instead used to celebrate Indigenous Peoples. Sept 26 2. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of access to COVID-19 vaccines, as well as access to other preventive vaccines. and also establishes the professional qualifications for these practitioners. . Section 3713 of the CARES Act established Medicare Part B coverage and payment for a COVID-19 vaccine and its administration. We are, however, finalizing that we will issue a preliminary report on estimated discarded drug amounts based on claims from the first two calendar quarters of 2023 no later than December 31, 2023 and will revisit the timing of the first report in future rulemaking. CMS is implementing the final part of section 53107 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which requires CMS, through the use of new modifiers (CQ and CO), to identify and make payment at 85% of the otherwise applicable Part B payment amount for physical therapy and occupational therapy services furnished in whole or in part by physical therapist assistants (PTAs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs), for dates of service on and after January 1, 2022. Requiring Certain Manufacturers to Report Drug Pricing Information for Part B. Specifically, we are proposing a number of refinements to our current policies for split (or shared) E/M visits, critical care services, and services furnished by teaching physicians involving residents. We are also proposing to freeze the quality performance standard for PY 2023, by providing an additional one-year before increasing the quality performance standard ACOs must meet to be eligible to share in savings, and additional revisions to the quality performance standard to encourage ACOs to report all-payer measures. The CY 2023 Medicare Physician Payment Schedule Final Rule updates payment policies and rates as well as other provisions for services offered on or after Jan. 1, 2023, under the Medicare Physician Payment Schedule. The CAA, 2022, also delays the in-person visit requirements for mental health services furnished via telehealth until 152 days after the end of the PHE. The finalized direct access policy will allow beneficiaries to receive care for non-acute hearing assessments that are unrelated to disequilibrium, hearing aids, or examinations for the purpose of prescribing, fitting, or changing hearing aids. This policy determines which professional should bill for a shared visit by defining the substantive portion, of the service as more than half of the total time. We finalized our proposal to extend the duration of time that services are temporarily included on the telehealth services list during the PHE for at least a period of 151 days following the end of the PHE, in alignment with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (CAA, 2022). See the below for the following updates: Updated Pricing for codes G0339, G0340, 0275T, 0598T & 0599T effective January 1, 2022. Payment for Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) Services and Related Services. Finally, we are working to address commenters thoughtful feedback and questions regarding the operational aspects of billing and claims processing for these services. The statute provides coverage of MNT services by registered dietitians and nutrition professionals when referred by a physician (an M.D. Both of these policies reflect our desire to expand access to quality care and to improve health outcomes for patients through prevention and early detection services, as well as through effective treatments. Additionally, based on the severity of needs of the patient population diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD) and receiving services in the OTP setting, CMS is finalizing the proposal to modify the payment rate for the non-drug component of the bundled payments for episodes of care to base the rate for individual therapy on a crosswalk to a code describing a 45-minute session, rather than the current crosswalk to a code describing a 30-minute session. We finalized the clarification that a 12-consecutive month cost report should be used to establish a specified provider-based RHCs payment limit per visit. means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Additionally, in light of the distinction between a PHE declared under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) and an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) declaration under section 564 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), and the possibility that they will not terminate at precisely the same time, CMS is clarifying the policies finalized in the CY 2022 PFS final rule regarding the administration of COVID-19 vaccine and monoclonal antibody products, to reflect that those policies will continue through the end of the calendar year in which the EUA declaration for drugs and biological products is terminated. Section 405 of the CAA also requires that beginning July 1, 2021, the ASP-based payment limit for billing codes representing Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) and Orencia (abatacept) as identified in a July 2020 OIG report adhere to the lesser of methodology. Concurrent Billing for Chronic Care Management Services (CCM) and Transitional Care Management (TCM) Services for RHCs and FQHCs. Under the so-called primary care exception, Medicare makes PFS payment in certain teaching hospital primary care centers for certain services furnished by a resident without the physical presence of a teaching physician. ) For CY 2022, in response to numerous stakeholder questions and to promote proper therapy care, CMS is proposing to revise the. Open Payments is a national transparency program that requires drug and device manufacturers and group purchasing organizations (known as reporting entities) to report payments or transfers of value to physicians, teaching hospitals, and other providers (known as covered recipients) to CMS. Section 2003 of the SUPPORT Act requires electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) for schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substances covered through Medicare Part D. The statute provides the Secretary with discretion on whether to grant waivers or exceptions to the EPCS requirement and specifies several types of exceptions that may be considered. https:// website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The calendar year (CY) 2022 PFS final rule is one of several rules that reflect a broader . Pub 100-04 Medicare Claims Processing Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Transmittal 10872 Date: July 2, 2021 . We are also proposing to clarify and refine policies that were reflected in certain manual provisions that were recently withdrawn. This approach would be applied to section 505(b)(2) drug products where a billing code descriptor for an existing multiple source code describes the product and other factors, such as the products labeling and uses, are similar to products already assigned to the code. Split (or shared) visits could be reported for new as well as established patients, and initial and subsequent visits, as well as prolonged services. The business center is closed on Saturday & Sunday. Geographic adjusters (geographic practice cost index) are also applied to the total RVUs to account for variation in practice costs by geographic area. Start Preamble AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. For many diagnostic tests and a limited number of other services under the PFS, separate payment may be made for the professional and technical components of services. Further, section 1814(i)(6) of the Act, as added by section 3132(a)(1)(B) of the PPACA, authorized . CMS also solicited comments on whether there are other drugs with unique circumstances that may warrant an increase in the applicable percentage. Medicare claims must be filed to the MAC no later than 12 months, or 1 calendar year, from the date the services were furnished. Over the last several years, Medicare payment rates for physicians and mass immunizers for administering certain preventive vaccines (flu, pneumonia and hepatitis B vaccines) have decreased by roughly 30%. CMS is proposing to revise the methodology for calculating repayment mechanism amounts for risk-based ACOs to reduce the percentage used in the existing amount by 50%. Second, we are finalizing our proposed changes and additional clarifications to the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection Instrument. Payments are based on the relative resources typically used to furnish the service. Updated Pricing for codes 0100T, 0102T, 0650T . 100-04, chapter 16, 60.1., did not have corresponding regulations text and some of the manual guidance is no longer applicable. The framework approach is consistent with the concept of paying similar amounts for similar services and with efforts to curb drug prices. In addition to cases where one remaining unit of a multi-unit therapy service to be billed, this revision to the policy would apply in a limited number of cases where more than one unit of therapy, with a total time of 24-28 minutes is being furnished. We will take into account the comments we received in response to CY 2023 rulemaking and feedback received in association with the Town Hall in order to strengthen proposed policies for skin substitutes in future rulemaking. We are also proposing to modify the threshold for determining whether an ACO is required to increase its repayment mechanism amount during its agreement period. We are also finalizing our proposals to codify and clarify various laboratory specimen collection fee policies in 414.523(a)(1). Since January 1, 2002, registered dietitians and nutrition professionals have been recognized to provide and bill for MNT services, meaning nutritional diagnostic, therapeutic, and counseling services. However, Medicare currently pays for dental services in a limited number of circumstances, specifically when that service is an integral part of specific treatment of a beneficiary's primary medical condition. Faults & service support : Medicare's faults and customer . ; 2023 ) Dec 21 5. increased applicable percentage of 35 percent for this drug. .gov Columbus Day is one of the two federal holidays on which the . The finalized policy will use a new modifier instead of using a new HCPCS G-code as we proposed because we were persuaded by the commenters that a modifier would allow for better accuracy of reporting and reduce burden for audiologist. We are proposing that the changes would be applicable for determining beneficiary assignment beginning with PY 2022. The fee schedules below are effective for dates of service January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022. CMS is also proposing changes to address an overlap between general and ownership payments. The dates listed under Part C include MA and MA-PD plans. These services will be reported with three separate Medicare-specific G codes. These RVUs become payment rates through the application of a conversion factor. n$4ldjz2;$::@Dh@ L+600g QQi7,n1s2s9BeBc`De@9 H10(="*U%` + The Medicare Benefit Policy Manual recognizes that although most beneficiaries are unable to leave their facility, CMS is proposing to implement section 132 of the CAA, which makes FQHCs and RHCs eligible to receive payment for hospice attending physician services when provided by a FQHC/RHC physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant who is employed or working under contract for an FQHC or RHC, but is not employed by a hospice program, starting January 1, 2022. The proposed methodology allows for the use of data that are more reflective of current market conditions of physician ownership practices, rather than only reflecting costs for self-employed physicians, and also would allow for the MEI to be updated on a more regular basis since the proposed data sources are updated and published on a regular basis. ( You can decide how often to receive updates. The Telehealth Originating Site Facility Fee has been updated for CY 2023, which can be found with the list of Medicare Telehealth List of Services at the following website: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-General-Information/Telehealth/Telehealth-Codes. For CY 2023, we finalized a year-long delay of the split (or shared) visits policy we established in rulemaking for 2022. CMS is proposing to revise the current regulatory language for RHC or FQHC mental health visits to include visits furnished using interactive, real-time telecommunications technology. We are seeking comment on whether a different interval may be necessary or appropriate for mental health services furnished through audio-only communication technology. This proposal will simplify communication about compliance between reporting entities and CMS. Proposed revisions to the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection Instrument. Catherine Howden, DirectorMedia Inquiries Form The CAA, 2022 also delays the in-person visit requirements for mental health visits via telecommunications technology, including those furnished by RHCs and FQHCs, until 152 days after the end of the PHE. Please refer to the chart below for important answers to common questions. CMS is finalizing our interim final policy (85 FR 19276) that the expanded list of covered destinations for ground ambulance transports was for the duration of the COVID-19 PHE only. Choice of medical decision making or time to select code level (except for a few families like emergency department visits and cognitive impairment assessment, which are not timed services). The technical component is frequently billed by suppliers, like independent diagnostic testing facilities and radiation treatment centers, while the professional component is billed by the physician or. lock School makeup days will be used in the order listed. An official website of the United States government The calendar year (CY) 2022 PFS proposed rule is one of several proposed rules that reflect a broader Administration-wide strategy to create a health care system that results in better accessibility, quality, affordability, empowerment, and innovation. People with Medicare, family members, and caregivers should visitMedicare.gov, the Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare, for the latest information on Medicare enrollment, benefits, and other helpful tools. CMS has applied this methodology for these billing codes in the July 2021 ASP Drug Pricing files. or We finalized the proposed rebasing and revising of the 2017-based MEI with some technical revisions to the proposed method based on public comments. From 1 January 2022, patient access to telehealth services will be supported by continued MBS arrangements. Proposed changes to the data collection period and data reporting period for selected ground ambulance organizations in year three; Proposed revisions to the timeline for when the payment reduction for failure to report will begin and when the data will be publicly available; and. A federal government website managed and paid for by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Telehealth Originating Site Facility Fee has been updated for CY 2023, which can be found with the list of Medicare Telehealth List of Services at the following website: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-General-Information/Telehealth/Telehealth-Codes. The purpose of this delay is to keep a record from being publicly available because it contains sensitive information for research and development. Official websites use .govA These proposals, in addition to existing policies, provide three years for ACOs to transition to reporting the three eCQM/MIPS CQM all-payer measures under the APP. Basic Eligibility. The proposed method for determining the 2017-based MEI relies on estimating base year expenses from publicly available data from the U.S. Census Bureau NAICS 6211 Offices of Physicians. following federal holidays for calendar year 2022: . lock Requiring reporting of a modifier on the claim to help ensure program integrity. You are legally blind. These destinations include, but are not limited to, any location that is an alternative site determined to be part of a hospital, critical access hospital(CAH)or skilled nursing facility (SNF), community mental health centers, Federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, physician offices, urgent care facilities, ambulatory surgical centers, any location furnishing dialysis services outside of an end-stage renal disease (ESRD) facility when an ESRD facility is not available, and the beneficiarys home. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. An official website of the United States government Washington's Birthday: Monday, Feb. 20. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of access to COVID-19 vaccines, as well as access to other preventive vaccines. We are also proposing to update the payment regulation for MNT services at 414.64 to clarify that MNT services are, and have been, paid at 100% (instead of 80%) of 85% of the PFS amount, without any cost-sharing, since CY 2011. Our policies also directly support President Bidens Cancer Moonshot Goal to cut the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years and addresses his recent proclamation of March 2022 as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. We are also proposing to modify the threshold for determining whether an ACO is required to increase its repayment mechanism amount during its agreement period. In addition, we are finalizing a policy to update this fee amount annually by the percent change in the CPI-U. identified in a July 2020 OIG report adhere to the lesser of methodology. Effective Nov. 3, 2022, NC Medicaid Dental Fee Schedules are located in the Fee Schedule and Covered Code site. Also, you can decide how often you want to get updates. CMS is proposing a series of standard technical proposals involving practice expense, including the implementation of the fourth year of the market-based supply and equipment pricing update, changes to the practice expense for many services associated with the proposed update to clinical labor pricing, and standard rate-setting refinements. We believe the CPM HCPCS codes will improve payment accuracy for these services, prompt more practitioners to welcome Medicare beneficiaries with chronic pain into their practices, and encourage practitioners already treating Medicare beneficiaries who have chronic pain to spend the time to help them manage their condition within a trusting, supportive, and ongoing care partnership. CMS is proposing to implement Section 122 of the CAA, which amends the statute by providing a special coinsurance rule for procedures that are planned as colorectal cancer screening tests but become diagnostic tests when the practitioner identifies the need for additional services (e.g., removal of polyps). allow a one-time opportunity for certain ACOs that established a repayment mechanism to support their participation in a two-sided model beginning on July 1, 2019; January 1, 2020; or January 1, 2021; to elect to decrease the amount of their existing repayment mechanisms. CMS is also clarifying that any service furnished primarily for the diagnosis and treatment of a mental health or substance use disorder can be furnished by auxiliary personnel under the general supervision of a physician or NPP who is authorized to furnish and bill for services provided incident to their own professional services. CMS is also soliciting comment on: (1) whether additional documentation should be required in the patients medical record to support the clinical appropriateness of audio-only telehealth; (2) whether or not we should preclude audio-only telehealth for some high-level services, such as level 4 or 5 E/M visit codes or psychotherapy with crisis; and (3) any additional guardrails we should consider putting in place in order to minimize program integrity and patient safety concerns. CMS proposed to clarify and codify certain aspects of the current Medicare fee-for-services payment policies for dental services. This often leads to disputes, a process by which the covered recipient initiates a conversation with the reporting entity to get more information, creating work for both parties. lock We are proposing to remove the requirement that the medical nutrition therapy referral be made by the treating physician and update the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) to reflect current medical practice. solicited comment on whether an increased applicable percentage would be appropriate for drug that is reconstituted with a hydrogel and administered via ureteral catheter or nephrostomy tube into the kidneys; in this circumstance, there is substantial amount of reconstituted hydrogel that adheres to the vial wall during preparation and not able to be extracted from the vial for administration. This refund applies to refundable single-dose container or single-use package drugs beginning January 1, 2023.