Practice | American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine

MACRA: CMS Releases Final Rule in Overhaul of Physician Payment Policies

10/19/2016
On Friday, October 14, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule implementing key provisions of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), the legislation passed by Congress last year replacing the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) physician payment formula. MACRA represents a complete overhaul of the structure of physician payments by Medicare.

Physician Compare Preview Period is Open

10/19/2016
Physicians have 30 days to preview their 2015 performance scores as they will appear on Physician Compare website beginning in late 2016. The preview period began on October 12, 2016, and will end on November 11, 2016. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created the Physician Compare website as required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010.

Tools to Help Physicians Maximize Their Electronic Health Record

10/4/2016
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released two tools to help physicians maximize their electronic health records (EHR): , “EHR Contracts Untangled: Selecting Wisely, Negotiating Terms, and Understanding the Fine Print” and Health IT Playbook.

MACRA Flexibility for Clinicians

10/4/2016
In September, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator, Andy Slavitt, revealed that CMS is offering clinicians four options to comply with and avoid a negative payment adjustment in the Quality Payment Program (QPP) outlined in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) for 2019.

Medicare PQRS and QRUR Reports Available Now!

10/4/2016
The 2015 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) Feedback Reports and the 2015 Annual Quality and Resource Use Reports (QRURs) were released on September 26, 2016.

AANEM Releases Position Statement on Proper Performance of Autonomic Testing

8/30/2016
AANEM has developed a position statement regarding the proper performance of autonomic testing. This position statement was created to assist payers in the development of their medical coverage policies for these tests.

2017 Proposed Physician Fee Schedule—What Could This Rule Mean for Reimbursement?

7/27/2016
On July 7, 2016, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule updating payment policies and payment rates for physicians under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for 2017. Within this document and addendum are updates to the relative value units (RVU), which include work RVUs, practice expense (PE) RVUs, malpractice (MP) RVUs, as well as the proposed Medicare conversion factor.

CMS Releases Proposed 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

7/13/2016
On July 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule updating payment policies and payment rates for physicians under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for 2017. CMS estimates a +1% impact in payment on neurology and physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians; although, ultimately, the result could differ when the final rule is published in the fall.

AANEM Releases Position Statement on Genetic Testing in Diagnosis of NM Disease

7/13/2016
AANEM has developed a position statement regarding the utility of genetic testing in neuromuscular (NM) disease. This position statement was prompted by inquiries from members and insurance providers regarding whether genetic testing for NM diseases is valuable and beneficial in light of the costs of testing.