CMS corrects MPFS error

CMS has updated the 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) to correct a significant typo concerning the RVUs of specific CPT codes.

Melody W. Mulaik, MSHS, a member of the AHRA’s regulatory affairs committee, wrote about the update for the organization’s Link newsletter.

Mulaik explained that the 2016 MPFS final rule indicated the new low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening code (G0297) would be worth the same RVUs as a non-contrast chest CT scan (71250). But when CMS first released its final documentation, the RVUs shown for G0297 were much lower than what was shown for 71250.

The American College of Radiology (ACR) brought attention to these errors, and others, in the 18-page letter it wrote to CMS in late December 2015. More information about that letter can be found here.

Official CMS documentation further exploring these corrections can be found on the CMS website.