What’s New in 2016: Fees, Codes and More – Review of Ophthalmology

There are no new ICD-10 codes at this time, but there are plenty of other changes to codes and reimbursements to know about.

This article addresses the following questions:

• Is the 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule favorable for ophthalmology?
• What type of relative value unit changes occurred on January 1, 2016?
• What is the target recapture?
• What happened with ambulatory surgery center facility fees in 2016?  
• Did hospital outpatient department rates increase similarly to ASC facility rates?  
• Were there any Category III code changes published in 2016?
• What changes were published with Category I codes in CPT 2016?
• Were there any changes to diagnosis codes or issues with the implementation of ICD-10?
• What types of regulatory issues were identified in the annual Office of Inspector General’s Work Plan as areas of concern for ophthalmology in 2016?
• Are there penalties and/or bonus dollars for participation in the Physician Quality Reporting System in 2016?
• Are there any major changes to PQRS reporting requirements in 2016?
• Are there continued penalties for those without electronic health records or those that fail to successfully report meaningful use?
• What Medicare Part B changes affect beneficiaries in 2016 from a cost perspective?

This article was published in Review of Ophthalmology’s Medicare Q & A column, which is written by Corcoran’s Vice-President, Donna McCune, CCS-P, COE, CPMA. To view the entire article in Review of Ophthalmology, click on the link below:

www.reviewofophthalmology.com/content/d/medicare_q___and___a/i/3556/c/59325/