In a March 25, 2014 letter to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner responded to an inquiry from the AAFP asking whether, if all of the “incident to” rules are met, may a physician bill Medicare for a Part B covered service provided by a pharmacist in the physician’s practice.
In its January 2014 letter, AFFP noted the “increasing emphasis on team-based care in family medicine” particularly in the context of a “patient-centered medical home.” Due to such changes, AAFP advised CMS that family medicine practices were employing pharmacists as part of the patient care team. Pursuant to the plan of care developed by the physician, these pharmacists were having and documenting direct, face-to-face encounters with patients where they reviewed “applicable patient history and medications” and counseled patients on the “risks and benefits of pharmaceutical treatment options” and “instructions for improving pharmaceutical treatment compliance and outcomes.” The AAFP took the position with CMS that such encounters would meet the definition of an established patient evaluation and management services (“E/M service”) and would be billed as an E/M service if the physician had provided the service. The AAFP also reviewed applicable Medicare rules on “incident to” billing, specifically section 60 of chapter 15 of the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual and stated that it “found nothing in Section 60 that would exclude pharmacists from this definition.” Accordingly, AAFP requested confirmation that a physician who met all of the “incident to” rules would be permitted to bill Medicare for a Part B covered service provided by a pharmacist in the practice.
In her response, Administrator Tavenner stated that CMS agreed with AAFP’s position that if all the requirements of the “incident to” statute and regulations were met, a physician may be reimbursed under Medicare Part B for services provided by pharmacists in the practice as “incident to” services.
Administrator Tavenner offered further guidance on this issue by directing AFFP’s attention to the regulations at 42 CFR 410.26, which contained two new provisions as a result of CMS rulemaking for the calendar year 2014 physician fee schedule (PFS). Specifically, a phrase was added to the definition of “auxiliary personnel” in 42 CFR 410.26(a)(1), which requires that auxiliary personnel must “meet[] any applicable requirements to provide the services, including licensure, imposed by the State in which the services are being furnished” and a new section was added, 42 CFR 410.26(b)(7), which provides that, “[s]ervices and supplies must be furnished in accordance with applicable State law.” Administrator Tavenner also referred AAFP to the CY 2014 PFS final rule and comments, found at 78 Fed. Reg. 74410, for more information. In light of these new provisions, she advised the AAFP to consider “applicable state laws” in addition to the other “incident to” requirements when considering when it is appropriate to bill for services “incident to” the physician’s services.
As a result of this guidance from CMS and recent regulatory amendments, physicians and other providers wishing to bill under the “incident to” rules must carefully review not only the “incident to” rules themselves but also consider closely whether the “incident to” services are being furnished in compliance with applicable state laws such as licensure requirements for auxiliary personnel.
Wachler & Associates regularly counsels providers regarding the rules and regulations involving Medicare reimbursement, including “incident to” billing. If you have questions about “incident to” billing, or how these recent developments may impact your practice, please contact an experienced healthcare attorney at 248-544-0888 or at wapc@wachler.com. Please subscribe to the Wachler & Associates health law blog by adding your email address and clicking “Subscribe” in the window on the top right of this page.