APTA Clarifies Impact of MPPR in Updated FAQ
APTA has updated its Medicare Physician Fee Schedule FAQ to
clarify the impact of the multiple procedure payment reduction (MPPR) on
payment for therapy services.
Set to be implemented on April 1, the provision applies the
MPPR to therapy services at 50%, up from 20% for office settings and 25% for
facility settings. APTA estimates
the application of a 50% MPPR policy will reduce payments by approximately 6-7%
in aggregate for outpatient therapy services. This reduction will be partially
offset by a 4% increase in practice expense that resulted from the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services' use of new survey data of practice expenses
conducted by APTA. The impact of the MPPR reduction on individual practices and
facilities will vary depending on the CPT codes billed and the typical duration
of the therapy sessions. To determine the impact on your practice, refer to APTA’s MPPR calculator, which can be used to determine payment rates for 2012 and
2013.
APTA will advocate to fix this flawed policy. The
association soon will call on APTA members to help in this effort.