On November 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 3,304-page final rule updating payment policies and programs under Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for the 2023 calendar year. Important policy updates in the rule will impact Medicare payment rates, including payment for telehealth services, along with accountable care organizations (ACOs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and the Merit Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Most notable among its numerous and lengthy provisions, the rule will:
- Reduce FFS payment rates across-the-board by 4.5 percent
- Maintain the transition to 2015 Edition Cures Update certified EHR
- Extend key Medicare telehealth policies for five months after HHS’s COVID-19 emergency declaration ends
- Maintain the MIPS scoring threshold at 75 points while making revisions to MIPS categories and measures
- Maintain the launch of MIPS Value Pathways as a voluntary MIPS participation option in 2023
- Institute several significant changes to the Shared Savings ACO program
Want to learn more?
You can start with the CMS fact sheet and, in case you missed it, view the recording and presentation from the November installment of NextGen Healthcare’s Health Reform Simplified Webinar.