In a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the American Academy of Family Physicians said CMS needs to enhance the role of primary care physicians to strengthen Medicare, according to Healthcare Finance News.
The AAFP also called on Congress to repeal the sustainable growth rate formula to stabilize Medicare physician payments.
The group noted its support for CMS's proposal to create a post-discharge transitional care management code system but said it was confused as to why CMS did not restrict code usage to primary care physicians since coding will be used almost exclusively by them.
"In this scenario, CMS' proposal to pay only the first claim containing the new code creates an uncoordinated race to bill among the various physicians involved, rather than recognizing and rewarding the physician or practice that is actually coordinating the patient's post-discharge care," AAFP Board Chair Roland Goertz said. "Thus ... [the] AAFP recommends that CMS restrict the use and payment of this code to the patient's primary care physician."
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The AAFP also called on Congress to repeal the sustainable growth rate formula to stabilize Medicare physician payments.
The group noted its support for CMS's proposal to create a post-discharge transitional care management code system but said it was confused as to why CMS did not restrict code usage to primary care physicians since coding will be used almost exclusively by them.
"In this scenario, CMS' proposal to pay only the first claim containing the new code creates an uncoordinated race to bill among the various physicians involved, rather than recognizing and rewarding the physician or practice that is actually coordinating the patient's post-discharge care," AAFP Board Chair Roland Goertz said. "Thus ... [the] AAFP recommends that CMS restrict the use and payment of this code to the patient's primary care physician."
More Articles on Coding, Billing and Collections:
Bundled Payments, Narrow Networks & Acquisitions: 5 ASC Reimbursement Trends to Expect in 2013
Florida's Lee County Agrees to Pay More Than $950K to Medicaid
10 Steps to Maximize Reimbursement for Total Joint Replacement at Surgery Centers