Two final 2008 payment rules from CMS
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Rules effective Jan. 1 for payment of hospital outpatient and physician services are released Nov. 1. In the outpatient 1rule, CMS moves ahead with a controversial "packaging" policy for seven new categories of services, making only minor modifications to its July proposal. The policy, the scope of which includes intra-operative services, image guidance, and diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals, is intended to combat rising outpatient costs and encourage hospitals to more prudently negotiate with manufacturers (2"The Gray Sheet" Sept. 24, 2007, p. 22). The 2008 physician fee 3schedule resembles the agency's July proposal, with no new big cuts for imaging (4"The Gray Sheet" July 9, 2007, p. 11)