CMS posts 2008 Medicare payment schedule for comment

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) projects that it will pay
approximately $58.9 billion to 900,000 physicians and other health care
professionals in calendar year (CY) 2008, under a proposed rule released today
that would revise payment rates and policies under the Medicare Physician Fee
Schedule (MPFS). This proposed rule is a further step in Medicare�s efforts to
ensure that payment policies provide incentives to improve the quality of care.

“This proposed rule builds on the changes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services made last year to pay more appropriately for practice expenses and to
transform Medicare into an active purchaser of higher quality services, rather
than just paying for procedures” said acting CMS Administrator Leslie V.
Norwalk, Esq. “It also includes an important new initiative to encourage the use
of electronic prescribing to improve the speed and accuracy of care furnished to
beneficiaries, as well as proposals for additional quality measures for use in
the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative in 2008.”

Comments will be accepted on the proposed rule until August 31, 2007, and a
final rule will be published later in the fall. The final rule will be effective
for services on or after January 1, 2008.

The proposed rule (CMS-1385-P) can be viewed on the CMS Website at
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/ama/license.asp?file=/physicianfeesched/downloads/CM
S-1385-P.pdf.

The Press Release can be obtained on the CMS Website at
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press_releases.asp, and the Fact Sheet is
posted at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/fact_sheets.asp.