Question:
Why are stakeholders like the College of American Pathologists concerned about E/M changes in 2021?
Answer:
CAP has asserted that the 2021 cuts to specialty services are part of an agenda to redistribute $7 billion from medical specialties to primary care physicians as part of an overhaul and restructuring of E/M outpatient services. By doing so, the proposed regulation estimates an eight percent cut to pathology payments and a four percent cut for independent laboratories. It should be noted that pathology and other specialties, which normally do not bill office/outpatient E/M codes, face the greatest decrease in payments.
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