Rockville, Md — The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has released an analysis and summary of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 2012 Outpatient Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for Part B services.

The analysis provides an overview of new policy changes, reproduces a listing of all procedures used by SLPs and audiologists, calculates the actual national average payment amounts, and describes three methods for accessing the exact payment figure based on geographic location.

However, ASHA also notes that it expects that Congress will act to reduce the scheduled 24.7% cut to the rates. In the past, the American Medical Association and other health care lobbying groups have consistently and successfully convinced Congress to delay or decrease scheduled cuts, arguing that the cuts will cause providers to drop Medicare coverage with the reduced rates.

ASHA’s 2012 analysis, downloadable here, also includes new developments for Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) reimbursement codes, updates to the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) program, and clarification on the fees for audiology services in settings qualified for non facility rates.

Additionally, the document provides a summary of CMS fee schedules, payment rules, and other useful resources for Medicare billing and reimbursement.

As of December 1, 2011, the regulations and fee schedule are effective January 1, 2012. However, ASHA is urging its members to check back with this page on their website for the latest updates. Members can also contact [email protected] for more information.

SOURCE: The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)