Advocacy: American Academy of Ophthalmology

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CMS' 2010 Proposed Medicare Fee Schedule Rule Boosts Ophthalmology Payments

CMS announced proposed physician payment and policy changes for services to Medicare beneficiaries. Ophthalmology will go to a practice expense (PE) per hour rate of $170.08 in 2010, up from $103.28, with an 11 percent overall increase in PE payments for ophthalmology next year (due to a complicated PE formula). This is a result of the Academy working with the AMA to initiate and complete a survey of specialties. CMS is proposing to accept the updated data as valid and incorporate it in the 2010 fee schedule with a significant impact on ophthalmology.

State Legislation Update
Texas and Pennsylvania fight for patient safety.

2009 Fee Schedule
Highlights of the Medicare Final Fee Schedule include a 36.066 conversion factor for 2009.

Latest Advocacy News

House Committees Will Consider Health Reform Bills after July Recess
A draft bill developed by leaders of three House committees—Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor—was released late last week but committees will not begin markup of health reform legislation until after July 5. As promised, physicians would get a long-term sustainable growth rate fix, including a 2010 Medicare fee schedule update based on the Medicare Economic Index (1-1.3 percent). Two new expenditure targets are proposed:

Primary care, all E&M and consults and preventive services
All other services, including surgery

Data from the American College of Surgeons show that ophthalmology could have slight positive updates under this plan.