2012 MPFS Presents Problems for Orthopaedics: Final Rule Recommends 27.4 Percent Reimbursement Reduction, Multiple RVU Changes (Advocacy) (Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, Relative Value Unit‪)‬

The 2012 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule, released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Oct. 27, 2011, did not contain good news--especially for orthopaedists. True, the recommended 27.4 percent cut in reimbursement for services under the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula was less than the previous estimate of 29.5 percent, due to lower-than-expected growth in Medicare costs. But this is the eleventh time the SGR formula has resulted in a payment cut, although the cuts have been averted through legislation every year except for 2002.