Advocacy Update

2021 Physician Fee Schedule: Congress Stems Cuts, CMS Expands Telehealth

Jacqueline M. Kocinski, MPP

Like with so many other sectors of the US economy, COVID-19 has inflicted significant financial strain on our nation’s healthcare system. So although stakeholders had heralded changes to office/outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) services scheduled to take effect under the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) as long overdue, the updates meant to address historic undervaluation of these services came at a time when attendant payment reductions for practitioners in other settings—statutorily required to maintain budget neutrality—would cause significant hardship, including for those on the front lines of the pandemic.