The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has recommended a 1.25% increase in payments under the physician fee schedule for 2024, according to its March report to Congress released March 15.
Overall, Medicare fee-for-service spending per beneficiary increased in 2021 by 10%. Charges for imaging per fee-for-service beneficiary for physician fee schedule services between 2019 and 2021 decreased slightly.
| Allowed charges per fee-for-service beneficiary for physician fee schedule services, 2019-2021 | ||
| Service type | Change in units of service per beneficiary | Change in payments per beneficiary |
| Imaging (overall) | -3.8% | -2.4% |
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the healthcare arena, MedPAC noted.
"Three years into the coronavirus pandemic, Medicare beneficiaries, health care workers, and providers continue to experience the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," the commission wrote. "Though the coronavirus public health emergency will end in May of this year, COVID-19 variants continue to evolve, and the future effects of coronavirus transmission on the demand for health care services remains uncertain."
