HHS Deputy Secretary Eric D. Hargan listens to Dr. Eric Levicoff discuss the role of E/M services in orthopaedic surgery practice.
AAHKS Advocacy Committee member, Eric A. Levicoff, MD met with the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Eric D. Hargan and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Principal Deputy Administrator Demetrios Kouzoukas on Friday to offer reaction to proposed changes to E/M coding under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Dr. Levicoff expressed concern over how proposed changes could disincentivize specialists from spending time with the most complex and vulnerable patients. He also shared examples of how Medicare E/M reimbursement does not reflect all the work that goes into patient care.
HHS and CMS leadership have opened a dialogue with select medical specialty societies in order to improve CMS proposals for the Physician Fee Schedule.
