Provisions in the 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule that will affect surgical practice: An overview

New payment policy and coding and reimbursement changes set forth in the 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule took effect January 1, 2016. The MPFS, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updates annually, lists payment rates for Medicare Part B services and introduces and updates a number of other policies affecting physician reimbursement and quality measurement. On September 8, 2015, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) submitted comments related to the MPFS proposed rule. These comments provided feedback to CMS on a number of policies outlined in the final rule released October 30, 2015. Although the MPFS final rule introduces important payment and policy changes that affect all physicians, this article focuses on updates that are particularly relevant to general surgery and its related specialties.

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