The Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 was recently signed into law, and what might seem on the surface like a straightforward attempt to prevent cuts to Medicare physician rates is actually more than meets the eye.
With the use of EHRs on the rise, so too is inappropriate use of EHR functionality. Many of these unintended consequences of EHR use are popping up on the radar of healthcare organizations and the federal government alike.
CMS made relatively few changes in the April quarterly I/OCE update, introducing four new APCs, deleting one, and reclassifying several skin substitute codes.
Hospital outpatient therapeutic services, such as ED or clinic visits, that are paid under the OPPS or to critical access hospitals (CAH) on a cost basis must be furnished "incident to" a physician's service to be covered.
