On November 1, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) rule -- and radiology will come through relatively unscathed.
CMS estimates that the MPFS changes will have no overall effect on radiology, while nuclear medicine and radiation oncology/radiation therapy centers will see cuts of 1%. Interventional radiology will actually enjoy a 2% increase in payments, CMS said.
As for the 2019 conversion factor, it will be $36.04, up slightly from $35.99 in 2018.
Relieving the burden
The final 2019 MPFS should relieve physicians of excessive paperwork required by outdated billing practices, due to updates to Medicare's accountable care organization (ACO) program, according to CMS.
In addition, the agency has now confirmed its plan to move forward with appropriate use criteria (AUC) and clinical decision support (CDS) for diagnostic imaging services on January 1, 2020. That date will mark a yearlong testing period for the program, CMS said.
The 2019 MPFS adds independent diagnostic testing facilities (IDTFs) to the list of eligible settings for the AUC program, which already includes physician offices, hospital outpatient departments, and ambulatory surgical centers.
Virtual care and MIPS
The final rule also increases access to "virtual" healthcare by directing Medicare to pay providers for two types of physician services: communication by telephone and remote evaluation of recorded video and/or images.
"Practitioners could be separately paid for the brief communication technology-based service when the patient checks in with the practitioner via telephone or other telecommunications device to decide whether an office visit or other service is needed," CMS said.
As for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), the document establishes an "opt-in" policy so that clinicians with low volumes of Medicare patients can participate in the program if they choose to do so.
The rule also institutes a revision to physician supervision requirements so that any diagnostic test performed by a radiologist assistant (RA) may be done under a direct level of physician supervision.
