Debate over Medicare payment for PAs and APRNs
Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) are calling for greater recognition and reward of advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) and physician assistants (PA). Because states’ scope-of-practice laws can vary greatly, and because Medicare payments are aligned with those laws, APRNs and PAs may not receive appropriate payment for that service. For example, if a state allows an APRN or PA to practice independently of a physician, that practitioner would receive 85% of what a physician would receive for providing that service, but if a state requires the APRN or PA to work under a physician, the physician would receive 100% of the payment for the service, at the regular rate. MedPAC members discovered a wide variation in states’ scope of practice laws, and thus in the ways that APRNs and PAs can bill Medicare.
Source: MedPage Today