Stefanie
Networker
Does anyone have an opinion or know of any guideline that has been placed regarding Medicare's coverage of annual physicals and our mandatory carve-out rule? Currently if a patient is seen for an annual and a significantly separately identifiable E/M is performed at the same time, we are instructed to carve-out Medicare's allowed amount for the E/M out of the Preventive Medicine Service. For example, 99397 $300, 99214 $97. We would substract the $97 from the $300 and the patient would be responsible for the difference. Since Medicare is going to start covering the 99397 once a year, does anyone think this carve-out rule will change or remain the same?