2021 Medicare Fee Cuts Looming for Acupuncture, Others
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Editor's Note: The following is excerpted from billing columnist Sam Collins' January 2021 article, which will be available in its entirety in the digital edition next week.
Medicare is scheduled to make a significant reduction in Medicare rates in 2021. CMS has proposed finalized changes to increase the reimbursement for the outpatient / office physician evaluation and management (E/M) CPT codes in CY 2021 (as proposed by the AMA), which will result in an approximately 8 percent cut in payment for outpatient acupuncture, chiropractic, PT and OT services, effective 1/1/2021 (despite receiving over 10,000 comments against the proposal).
Thirty-six (36) different specialties face cuts in 2021 (including acupuncturists, PT/OT, ophthalmology, chiropractors, audiology, and clinical social workers) with the increase in payment for the physician E/M codes. However, CMS has not determined the actual cuts to each code as of press time.
All Medicare provider groups have formed a coalition to block these scheduled cuts and there are things that you can do. Several House representatives have introduced the Holding Providers Harmless from Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act. This comprehensive bill has wide support in Congress and among Medicare providers. H.R. 8702, through what is known as a "hold harmless" approach, would ensure that payments to Medicare providers, including acupuncture providers, remain at current levels through 2022.
Take a moment today to send a letter to your local congressperson and urge them to co-sponsor this critical legislation. (To find your congressional representatives in the House and Senate, click here.) This rule is not finalized and with the support of acupuncture providers and others, hopefully, it will be blocked. Let's do our part.
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