A 1% Medicare Payment Cut Will Go into Effect April 1

Audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) providing Medicare Part B (outpatient) services paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) should prepare for a 1% cut on all claims to go into effect for services provided on or after April 1, 2022. This is an expected next step in Medicare’s phase-in of payment reductions throughout 2022.

Why is this happening?

Medicare providers initially faced significant payment cuts of 10% or more to Medicare Part B (outpatient) services in 2022. Although advocacy by ASHA and other stakeholders resulted in legislation mitigating a substantial portion the 2022 payment cuts, Congress did not fully eliminate them, leaving smaller payment reductions to be phased in over the course of this year.

What does this mean for audiologists and SLPs?

A 0.75% cut to the Medicare Part B conversion factor―which is applied to every service before coinsurance, deductibles, and other payment adjustments made at the claim level―has been in place since January 1 and is reflected in current Medicare payments. Beginning April 1, audiologists and SLPs will see an additional 1% reduction to all payments after coinsurance, deductibles, and other payment adjustments are applied at the claim level. On July 1, this reduction will increase to 2% for the remainder of the year. This cut will also be applied at the claim level, after all other payment adjustments are made.

Please review ASHA’s fee schedule analysis for audiologists and SLPs for a detailed description of how the payment adjustments are being applied. To see a quarterly estimate of 2022 payments for individual services after patient cost-sharing is applied, download ASHA's Medicare cuts calculator [XLSX].

Get involved!

ASHA remains fully engaged in the fight against any cuts to Medicare payments. Learn more about ASHA’s ongoing efforts to stop the Medicare cuts and join the fight to convince Congress to fully address these cuts by urging their support for the Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2021 (H.R. 6020/S. 3314).

ASHA Resources

• 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Audiologists [PDF]
• 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Speech-Language Pathologists [PDF]
• 2022 Medicare Cuts Calcular [XLSX]

Questions?

Please email reimbursement@asha.org for questions about Medicare payments and claims.