Medicare Finalizes 2013 Physician Fee Schedule November 2, 2012 Medicare, News, Payment 2013 Physician Fee Schedule, Medicare reimbursements 0 Family physicians will receive up to a 7% boost in Medicare payments in 2013, and other primary care providers will receive 3% to 5% more, under a final rule announced yesterday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Much of the increase in the physician fee schedule reimbursement will come from new added payments for coordinating a patient's care in the 30 days following a hospital or skilled nursing facility stay. Under the rule, providers will for the first time receive a separate payment to help a patient transition back to the community following a discharge. Another final rule issued yesterday outlines how Medicaid reimbursements will be brought on par with those of Medicare for primary care providers in 2013 and 2014, as outlined in the Affordable Care Act. The federal government will pay for 100% of the difference between the Medicaid state plan payment as of July 1, 2009 and the applicable Medicare rate, CMS said. The increase will impact family medicine physicians, general internists, pediatricians, and related subspecialists. Payments go into effect January 1, 2013, and the final rule states how CMS and the states will work together to make the payments operational. The 2013 fee schedule isn’t entirely set in stone. Physician payments are set to drop by 27% in 2013 under the sustainable growth rate reimbursement formula unless Congress acts to delay the cuts. Medicare payments also could drop another 2% under the so-called “fiscal cliff” which again could be stalled depending on how lawmakers act following next week’s elections. Click here to read the 1,362-page Final Medicare Fee Schedule Rule released by CMS. SFMS/CMA/AMA staff are reviewing the document and will provide more information shortly. Comments are closed.
