Senators Ask CMS To Allow Public Input When Setting Doctor Pay Rates

Senators Ask CMS To Allow Public Input When Setting Doctor Pay Rates-insidehealthpolicy: Piggybacking on a bipartisan House request, a dozen senators are urging CMS to make public the process of setting values for physician services, which would take away some of the influence the American Medical Association's RUC has over billing codes. CMS is poised to propose the 2015 Physician Fee Schedule, and lawmakers complain the agency traditionally has waited until the final version of that annual rule to include revised values for physician services, shutting out public comment on the RUC-driven values. "We respectfully request that you strongly consider revising the current process by publishing these reimbursement changes to existing codes in the annual physician fee schedule proposed rule," the senators write.