Anesthesia coding and billing changes coming April 1
March 21, 2024Anesthesia Reimbursement Shift
April 18, 2024The recent Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, signed into law by President Biden on March 9, brings notable changes to physician payments.
Physicians are urged to check their remittance advice for services performed on or after March 9 to ensure payments reflect the new conversion factor, which includes a 2.93% increase and an extension of the work geographic index.
Unlike previous fee fixes, this adjustment only covers services from March 9 through the end of 2024 and is not retroactive to the start of the year.
CMS released updated relative value unit and anesthesia conversion factor files on March 15. The new national physician conversion factor is $33.2875.
The national anesthesia conversion factor beginning with March 9 dates of service is $20.7739. This is an increase from $20.4349 or 0.98%.
Physicians should monitor their Medicare administrative contractor (MAC) for locality-adjusted fees and updates on payment adjustments.
To understand the impact of the new conversion factor on payments, consider the base fee for established office/outpatient E/M code 99214. The adjustment applies to services rendered from March 9 through December 31, 2024.
As always, the HANK/ACE Team is here to help. Contact us with your anesthesia coding and compliance questions.