Healthcare Law Briefs

August 3, 2005

*READ PAST ISSUES OF THE HEALTHCARE LAW BRIEFS

SPECIAL EMAIL ALERT: 

CMS Proposes 2006 Physician Fee Schedule

CMS posted its proposed 2006 Physician Fee Schedule.  To view the proposed rule, visit the CMS website.  Some highlights:

1. CMS is proposing a 4.3% reduction, in response to the existing law that ties the conversion factor to the sustainable growth rates, i.e. it automatically reduces payment rates if volume exceeds budgeted projections.  This issue is one of the hotly debated issues in P4P.

2. Nuclear medicine is added to the Stark list of Designated Health Services.

3. Payment rates are "reformed" (i.e. reduced) for multiple diagnostic procedures on the same day.

4. ESRD payments for drugs and biologicals are proposed to be paid at ASP plus 6%.

5. Telehealth services will be expanded to include nutrition therapy.

6. Refine RVU computation to more accurately reflect overhead and malpractice costs.

For more information, please contact Mike Cassidy at 412.594.5515 or mcassidy@tuckerlaw.com.

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>For more information about the topics presented in this newsletter please contact one of the Healthcare Attorneys:

• Michael A. Cassidy

• Richard W. Cramer

• J. Kent Culley

• William T. Harvey

• Michelle L. Kopnski

• Scott R. Leah

• Charles J. Vater

Read the July 2005 issue of our HEALTHCARE NEWSLETTER.

Tucker Arensberg, P.C.

1500 One PPG Place  Pittsburgh, PA 15222   412/566-1212

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