Specialty differentials, limited license practitioners, and Medicare's new fee schedule

The use of specialty differentials in the newly adopted Medicare fee schedule has been debated over the past 2 years. Arguments supporting the elimination of specialty differentials for optometrists and ophthalmologists are presented. The first recommendations by the Physician Payment Review Commission eliminating specialty differentials represent a victory for optometry in its efforts to achieve parity in the reimbursement of Medicare-covered services. Relative value units and practice costs to be used by the new Medicare fee schedule must be determined for optometry. Estimates of the model fee schedules for eye care procedures have been released by the Department of Health and Human Services.