Proposed 2017 MPFS Published

CMS has released the 2017 MPFS and the entire CMS document is published in the Federal Register. In 2015, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, which included a provision that CMS lower the existing 25% professional component MPPR payment reduction to 5%, effective 2017. This reduction in the MPPR becomes effective January 1, 2017. The 2017 conversion factor will be $35.75, which reflects the 0.5% update dictated by MACRA, a budget neutrality adjustment, and a 5% adjustment due to the reduction in the MPPR for the professional component of imaging services. Overall payments will decrease by 1%. By specialty it’s a different story, with interventional radiology seeing a steep cut due to CPT code restructuring and revaluation of some high volume codes in the “misvalued codes” initiative. Three new mammography codes will be implemented in 2017 that bundle mammography with CAD. The good news here is that payments will not be reduced as a result. The requirement to use clinical decision support based on appropriate use criteria will begin in January 2018, rather than 2017, a move CMS announced this year and reinforces in this proposed rule.