Hill December 20, 2021
Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final decision to move forward with the clinical labor policy that includes changes for Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS). The changes will be effective Jan. 1, 2022 and will ultimately force cuts onto providers, limit patient access and destabilize the health care system by squeezing out service providers who typically provide comprehensive care to a predominantly vulnerable population.
Needless to say, these cuts, the result of a flawed PFS methodology, paint a bleak picture for patients should they go forward.
The CMS rule change means a 20 percent across-the-board cut to specialty providers. As currently prescribed, the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) contains cuts that will...