Modest Changes in Echo Professional Fees But Significant Changes in Hospital Outpatient Echo Payment Proposed by Medicare for 2016 (7/10/15)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released proposed changes to the Medicare allowances for physicians’ services paid under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and services provided by hospital outpatient departments paid under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS). If the changes are adopted as proposed, the amounts paid for physicians services (Professional and Technical Components) under the PFS would remain relatively unchanged in 2016, but hospitals would experience significant changes in the amounts paid by Medicare for the overhead, supplies, equipment, and non-physician personnel costs associated with outpatient echos. Read more here.