Consultations - Medicare

One of my specialty physicians saw in his newsletter that CMS is postponing for two month their changes in the consultations. Is that correct and is it because the RVUs haven't yet been adjusted?

Have not read that

The two month delay was for the 21% fee cut. The codes do not go away, Medicare will just no longer pay them. Commercial insurers will continue to honor them. Remember the AMA owns the CPT codes and insurers and CMS license the right to use them.

Consultations Medicare

If that is what the newsletter said (that the consult rule was postponed for two months) it was incorrect. The consult change became effective Jan 1 2010.

The RVUs changed Jan 1 2010.

The conversion factor, however did not decrease by 21% as it was scheduled to do per the sustainable growth rate formula. We were given a reprieve on that for 2010.