Thanks to last-minute efforts by the Ultrasound imaging community, CMS’s proposed 40% reduction to Ultrasound reimbursement is put on hold.

Beginning as soon as 2019, the impact of this proposal would be an overall reduction 9% reimbursement for physicians performing ultrasounds in their offices.  And once fully implemented, the proposal was expected to reduce overall reimbursement by 40%, with some specific ultrasounds approaching a 50% reduction. But thanks to the efforts of the Ultrasound Access Coalition (UAC), Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) and the American College of Radiology (ACR), the scheduled reductions by CMS have now been placed on hold.

CMS released the 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Final Rule which confirmed CMS will not implement the projected Practice Expense reductions until further information can be obtained.

For a quick-look summary of important changes that took place regarding the final policy and payment changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for CY 2019, CMS provides a Fact Sheet:
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/final-policy-payment-and-quality-provisions-changes-medicare-physician-fee-schedule-calendar-year