OUCH-Possible big cut in physician Medicare reimbursements?

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its Calendar Year (CY) 2012 Final Rule with Comment Period for practitioners who are paid under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS). The final rule impacts a variety of methodologies used to calculate physician payment, including the adjustment for geographic differences in practice expenses and the payment rates for the professional component of multiple advanced diagnostic imaging procedures.

CMS anticipates that, without changes to current law, the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) adjustment to physician reimbursement will result in a 27.4% cut in payment rates for 2012. This adjustment has historically been reversed through congressional intervention. However, in light of the ongoing impasse over budget cuts required by this summer's debt ceiling debate, the possibility looms that no legislative fix will be forthcoming. As a result, there is a very real possibility that a substantial reduction in physician reimbursement will occur with the CY 2012 PFS.