Eric Knickrehm discusses the important changes the proposed Physician Fee Schedule rule would have on Medicare Part B.

Provided below is an overview of the most important aspects of the proposed rule, which was published on August 4, 2019. A number of these changes highlight CMS's increasing emphasis on preventive and low acuity care. For instance, CMS has continued to incentivize Transitional Care Management services and Chronic Care Management services to ensure that patients who were either recently hospitalized or are very likely to be hospitalized have effective care management to avoid further hospitalization.

Similarly, CMS is further expanding access to telehealth services so that Medicare beneficiaries can get more timely care when a health need first develops. These changes reflect the agency's commitment to making the Medicare program smarter and more effective.