Association of Evaluation and Management Payment Policy Changes With Medicare Payment to Physicians by Specialty.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

US primary care physicians (PCPs) have lower mean incomes than specialists, likely contributing to workforce shortages. In 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services increased payment for evaluation and management (E/M) services and relaxed documentation requirements. These changes may have reduced the gap between primary care and specialist payment.

Objectives

To simulate the effect of the E/M payment policy change on total Medicare physician payments while holding volume constant and to compare these simulated changes with observed changes in total Medicare payments and E/M coding intensity, before (July-December 2020) and after (July-December 2021) the E/M payment policy change.

Design, setting, and participants

Retrospective observational study

SUBMITTER: Neprash HT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9975918 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature