On July 14, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year (CY) 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) proposed rule. This proposed rule does have regulatory and reimbursement implications for outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy provided in all outpatient therapy settings. In this article, I will inform you of what CMS is proposing on the following topics:

On January 18, 2024, Congress passed legislation extending government funding for 4 appropriation bills through March 1, 2024 and 8 appropriation bills through March 8, 2024. What is included in these 2 extensions that impact outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy? Read below for the answers.

On November 2, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the calendar year (CY) 2022 Final Rule for services reimbursed under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). This rule does apply to outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy services provided in all outpatient therapy settings except a critical access hospital (CAH) since a CAH is not reimbursed under the MPFS. This proposed rule only applies to traditional Medicare and not Medicare Advantage plans. In the final rule, CMS stated the 2022 Conversion Factor (CF) would be 33.5983. This would be a 3.75% decrease compared to the 2021