As radiology and other specialties fight forthcoming cuts to Medicare reimbursement, the head of CMS is calling the reductions routine, and a completely separate issue from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services dropped its final 2021 Physician Fee Schedule on Tuesday, which includes pay cuts of 10% or more for certain specialties. Dozens of physicians believe the changes are ill-timed, given the challenging economy. However, CMS Administrator Seema Verma labeled this as a routine action that occurs every year, Inside Health Policy reported Monday.
“Every year, we go through this process where we’re making adjustments to the reimbursements, and so every year there are pluses and minuses. So, that’s not necessarily something that’s not routine; that happens all the time,” she told the news site.
Verma believes COVID-19 and modifications to the physician payment schedule are entirely separate matters, with the former already handled by previous federal actions.
“The issues around the pandemic are hopefully short-term and those have been addressed by the provider relief fund. The changes that we are making today, while going into effect, will have a long-term impact on the entire healthcare system,” Verma said.
In the final rule, CMS also noted that it cannot use its public health emergency authority to overturn payment cuts. That’s why a coalition of providers groups including ACR and the RBMA are urging Congress to pass legislation to counteract the changes.
Read more of her comments in Inside Health Policy below.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.