New 2008 Payment Rates for Services Paid Under Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS)
The Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 made serveral changes affecting payments to physicians. One such change provides for a 0.5 percent increase to the physician fee schedule conversion factor for January 1, 2008 through June 30, 2008, instead of the -10.1 percent that was scheduled to take place. As of July 1, 2008, the -10.1 percent update to the physician fee schedule will go into effect.
Since there is a change to the 2008 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rates, CMS is extending the Participation Enrollment Period an additional 45 days. The participation decision period now runs through February 15, 2008, instead of ending on December 31, 2007. All participating status changes will be effective January 1, 2008.
To become a participating physician, complete the CMS 460 form which can be found on the CD that was mailed to physicians in November. The form is also available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/cmsforms/downloads/cms460.pdf. The CMS 460 form must be post-marked by February 15, 2008, and sent to the following address:
For Alabama
Cahaba GBA
Attn: Provider Enrollment
P.O. Box 830170
Birmingham, AL 35283-0170
For Georgia
Cahaba GBA
Attn: Provider Enrollment
P.O. Box 12967
Birmingham, AL 35202
For Mississippi
Cahaba GBA
Attn: Provider Enrollment
P.O. Box 548
Birmingham, AL 35201
Also, if changing your par status to nonpar, please send your request in a letter to the above address, post-marked by February 15, 2008.
CMS JSM 08096
December 26, 2007