On September 28, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) submitted the final 2019 Medicare physician payment regulation to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to undergo the final stage of federal review before being released to the public.
Officially titled, “CY 2019 Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Medicare Part B and the Quality Payment Program,” the rule follows the release of the proposed rule in July and the subsequent close of the public comment period in early September. Although OMB regulatory reviews can vary in length, they typically conclude within two months of a regulation’s submission. (See here for more details.)
These final regulations will include critical changes to Medicare’s physician billing and payment system that will take effect January 1, 2019. While the specifics of the final rule remain unknown, CMS has proposed sweeping changes to requirements for outpatient office visit documentation and several substantial changes to the rules governing MACRA’s Quality Payment Program (QPP).