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The final 2008 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) was released by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on November 1, 2007. Included in the fee schedule is a 10.1% cut for all audiology services outside of a hospital setting and all outpatient Part B speech-language pathology services.
The cut is the result of a 10.1% reduction in the conversion factor (from $37.8975 in 2007 to $34.0682 for 2008), a figure that is multiplied by a procedure's relative value units (RVUs) to yield the procedure's fee. An adjustment in the conversion factor is required when actual spending on physician services exceeds a set target. However, Congress has intervened every year since 2003 to prevent a fee cut, and it is anticipated that this will occur again in 2008.
The 2008 Medicare Fee Schedule & Hospital OPPS for Audiologists [PDF] and the 2008 Medicare Fee Schedule for Speech-Language Pathologists [PDF] are available on ASHA's Web site. For additional information, please send questions to reimbursement@asha.org.
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