Hello. I'm Dr Charles Vega, and I am a clinical professor of family medicine at the University of California at Irvine. Welcome to Medscape Morning Report, our 1-minute news story for primary care.
Medicare has released its updated annual payment rule, with a number of changes that we all need to be familiar with.
First, they announced a new path for electronic "check-in" visits. This is a nod to the realization that, with the widespread use of telehealth communications and patient portals, the practice of medicine over a distance has changed. It is hoped that this change will address the real concern that clinicians stand to lose money by offering their patients more convenient service. Code G2012 can now be used for brief interactions via a "communication technology-based service". Some rules about when this virtual visit code can be used can be found on the CMS website.
Second, CMS held off on implementing a major overhaul of evaluation and management services, a delay that won praise from the American Medical Association.
Third, the update included changes in electronic health record requirements.
Medicare officials are also attempting to better address the national opioid epidemic by creating bundled Medicare payments for the care of patients with substance abuse, with an aim to prevent some hospitalizations.
Finally, the center also released details for a path for more physicians who don't see many Medicare patients to participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)—a plus for that group, since last year most physicians who participated in MIPS qualified for a bonus.
All in all, this year's payment rule contains some good news for most of us, and I encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with these changes.
Medscape Internal Medicine © 2018 WebMD, LLC
Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: The Latest Medicare Changes to Enhance Your Bottom Line - Medscape - Dec 04, 2018.
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