Payments to Physicians Likely to Increase under RBRVS, WCRI Says

Visits to the doctor's office cost more under the Resource-Based Relative Value Scale fee schedule that went into effect in California at the start of the year, but those increases could be offset by reimbursement rule changes for some evaluation and management codes, the Workers Compensation Research Institute said in a report released last week. The Division of Workers' Compensation adopted the RBRVS fee schedule mandated by Senate Bill 863 for dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2014. The new fee schedule increases physician reimbursements for routine office visits from 22% to 49%...