On Monday, Aug. 3, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the release of the proposed rule citing potential revisions to payment policies under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and other Part B Payment policies.
The proposed rule has the potential to impact the field of sleep medicine in a variety of ways.
Key points in the proposed rule that may affect sleep medicine include:
- The PFS conversion factor for Calendar Year (CY) 2021, which is being adjusted for budget neutrality, is proposed to decrease significantly from $36.09 to $32.26.
- CMS is proposing to add several new codes to the Medicare Telehealth list on a Category 1 basis, while also proposing to add several codes to a temporary Category 3, during the current public health emergency.
- There are several clarifications and proposals regarding the appropriate use of the remote physiologic monitoring codes.
- New payment rates are being proposed for immunization services.
- CMS is proposing to allow direct supervision to be provided using audiovisual technology through Dec. 21, 2021.
- CMS is proposing to revalue code sets that rely upon or are analogous to office/outpatient E/M visits.
- There are several proposals regarding ongoing professional scope of practice issues.
Public comments in response to the proposed rule can be submitted to CMS until 5 p.m. on Oct. 5, 2020. AASM staff will review the rule in its entirety and will work with AASM volunteers and leadership to submit comments on behalf of the AASM membership.
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