Medicare Cuts Planned for 2021 Will Affect PT Services and Undermine Patient Access to Vital Care
By Nikesh Patel, PT, Executive Director, APTQI, and Terrence D. Sims, President of Strategic Growth and Marketing, Raintree Systems
The COVID-19 pandemic has already dealt a major financial blow to physical, occupational, and speech therapists and other specialty healthcare providers. But things are going to get substantially worse in 2021 if Congress does not act to stop the Medicare cuts to 33 specialty services set to go into effect on January 1.
In its CY2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, CMS stated it was moving forward with across-the-board cuts of 9% to physical and occupational therapy services, and reductions ranging from 4% to 11% in other specialties ranging from pathology to anesthesiology to radiology. To understand why requires a little bit of background.
APTQI Commends US Senators for Introducing Legislation to Protect Providers from Medicare Cuts
The Alliance for Physical Therapy Quality and Innovation (APTQI) applauds Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Susan Collins (R-ME), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), for introducing S. 5007.
If enacted, the legislation would provide critical relief to dozens of specialty providers scheduled to incur severe payment cuts starting in 2021, including physical, occupational, and speech language therapists.
As companion legislation to the bipartisan Holding Providers Harmless From Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act of 2020 (H.R.8702), which was introduced in the US House of Representatives in October, S. 5007 would hold providers harmless from cuts for Medicare services provided through 2022.
APTQI Urges Congress, CMS to Allow Reimbursement for Physical Therapy Telehealth Services Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic
In an effort to protect vulnerable patient populations from the transmission of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Alliance for Physical Therapy Quality and Innovation (APTQI) called on Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to amend Place of Service Billing Codes and provide waivers to allow reimbursement for physical therapy services delivered through telehealth appointments.
“As the nation comes to grips with the growing health challenge imposed by COVID-19, it is critical that we take steps to ensure patients who rely on physical therapy services to manage their chronic and acute pain are able to continue receiving these services,” said Nikesh Patel, Executive Director of APTQI. “By allowing Medicare reimbursement for physical therapy services provided through telehealth appointments, we can ensure vulnerable patient population