Medicare program; fee schedule for physicians' services--HCFA. Correction of final rule

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Medical Regulations
• Federal Register Notices

Background:

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule on the Medicare physician fee schedule in November 1991.
• This rule inadvertently placed physician fee schedule regulations in the incorrect section of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
• A broader regulatory recodification plan aimed to consolidate payment regulations for Medicare Part B services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To correct the miscodification of Medicare physician fee schedule regulations.
• To redesignate regulations from 42 CFR Part 415 to Part 414.
• To reserve Part 415 for future regulations concerning teaching physicians and hospitals.

Main Methods:

• A correction notice was issued to amend the CFR.
• Physician fee schedule regulations from 42 CFR Part 415, subpart A were moved to Part 414, subpart A.
• Technical errors in the original November 25, 1991 final rule were also corrected.

Main Results:

• Medicare physician fee schedule regulations are now correctly codified.
• The redesignation ensures accurate placement of payment regulations.
• Part 415 is now reserved for specific teaching-related physician and hospital payment rules.

Conclusions:

• The correction notice rectifies regulatory errors for the Medicare physician fee schedule.
• This ensures clarity and proper organization of Medicare payment regulations.
• The updated codification supports the intended regulatory framework for Medicare services.