Midwest ODs Getting Paid Again by Medicare

A  Medicare administrative contractor (MAC) reversed course on Monday and announced that it would withdraw a restrictive, anti-optometry coverage directive that wrongly sought to limit the scope of practice of optometrists in nine states, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). Wisconsin Physician Services (WPS) — the MAC servicing Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin — had issued an “optometry services” coverage determination whereby the contractor created a list of services it determined optometrists are allowed to provide based on its own interpretation of state law. With backing from a Medicare regional office, WPS then utilized the directive to deny payment for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries. Read more.