CMS Publishes Final Rule for Inpatient Prospective Payment System On September 2, 2020, CMS issued the fiscal year (FY) 2021 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTCH) final rule, which includes important provisions designed to ensure access to potentially life-saving diagnostics and therapies for hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries. The...

CMS Issues Proposed Rule for 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: Specific Impact to Spine Procedures PHYSICIAN PAYMENT PROVISIONS The 2021 Proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule updated several policies and payment rates of relevance to ISASS members. Notably, budget neutrality adjustments have reduced the Conversion Factor associated with all CPT codes, from $36 per relative...

ISASS Comments on Independence Blue Cross Spinal Fusion Policy On August 25, 2020, ISASS sent a comment letter to Independent Blue Cross (IBC), the Blue Cross affiliate for the Greater Philadelphia area, regarding their recent Spinal Fusion Policy. The IBC policy calls for attestation of failure of conservative treatment by a physiatrist.  The letter from...

IBC Policy 11.14.27d-Spinal Fusion Read the full letter here....