Reimbursement Changes In Store For Behavioral Health At CMS

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is planning to change reimbursement for behavioral health services. In the short-term, the 2018 proposed Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) includes a plan to update the payment methodology for office-based behavioral health services to better recognize the overhead expenses associated with those services. On the long-term horizon, CMS is interested in developing a new behavioral health payment model and has scheduled a public Behavioral Health Payment and Care Delivery summit for September 8, 2017 to gather stakeholder input.

The updated methodology noted in the proposed 2018 PFS focuses on . . .