CY 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
September 29, 2020
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on whether regulatory flexibilities initiated during the Public Health Emergency (PHE) should be extended for the remainder of 2020. CMS officially made their request for comments in the CY 2021 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule published on August 3, 2020.
These policies related to telehealth and moonlighting were implemented to provide healthcare systems with maximum flexibility to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and are summarized below:
- Payments to Teaching Physician Teaching physicians fulfill requirements to receive payments for services furnished when a resident is involved using audio-visual telecommunication technology.
- Supervision of Residents By Teaching Physicians Teaching physicians are allowed to direct the care furnished by a resident through audio/video real-time communications technology except for surgical, high-risk, interventional, or other complex procedures, services performed through endoscopic, and anesthesia services.
- Supervision for Psychiatric Services Teaching physicians may use audio/video real-time communications technology to supervise residents during psychiatric services or the interpretation of diagnostic tests.
- Primary Care Exception Policies Services furnished by residents at primary care centers have expanded to include Level 4 and 5 office/ outpatient evaluation and management visits.
- Temporary Policy on Moonlighting Residents are allowed to moonlight for services that are not related to their approved GME programs and performed in the inpatient setting of a hospital in which they have their training program.
Comments are open for submissions through October 5, 2020, at the CMS Website. Following is a link to CMS’s official announcement: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cms-1734-p-pdf.pdf
About the Author:
Sarah Ottesen
626-656-8312
sarah@gmesolutions.com