Letter Helps PTs Send Unified Message to CMS on 2018 Fee Schedule, More Broad Medicare Changes
The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) is looking for comments on the proposed 2018 Medicare physician fee schedule—and on Medicare as a whole. Now APTA is making it easy to seize the opportunity for the profession to speak with a unified voice.
Just added to the APTA website: a template letter to CMS that covers both the proposed fee schedule and more general Medicare issues. The letter supports the CMS decision to make no changes to current procedural terminology (CPT) codes that were identified as possibly "misvalued," and recommends that the agency do more to increase patient access to physical therapist (PT) services, particularly in the areas of prevention, preoperative rehabilitation, and pain management.
The letter, a Microsoft Word file, includes areas for the sender to fill in information about specific services she or he provides, practice setting, and other information. Instructions for getting the letter to CMS—electronically or by regular or express mail—are provided.
APTA also will submit comments on the fee schedule. As in past comments on proposed rules delivered to CMS this year, the association will in its fee schedule comments include its perspective on broader changes to Medicare.
Deadline for comments to CMS on the fee schedule is September 11.