Image of female doctor talking with male patient

Physicians, therapists and other providers were in a full-on battle to block a 4.4% cut to a key payment factor at press time.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced the change to the Medicare Physician Pay Schedule conversion factor in a broader pay rule published Nov. 1. The factor is part of a CMS formula used to reimburse for Part B care, including physician and nurse practitioner services, rehab, labs and X-rays for Medicare nursing home patients. Lobbyists are hoping for a repeat of last year, when CMS proposed a 3% cut that Congress eventually offset.

“Congress is becoming fatigued with restoring this cut, and so we are concerned that (it) won’t mitigate the entire 4.4% cut that CMS has now finalized,” Advion Executive Vice President Cynthia Morton told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.

Physicians could see total Medicare payments cut by nearly 8.5% next year.

Read late-breaking developments on this story here.