Time-based billing led to higher reimbursement for physicians for longer patient visits, according to a study published Aug. 31 in JAMA Open Network.
The study looked at the differences in reimbursement for medical decision-making billing and time-based billing. The study found that for short, 10- to 15-minute patient visits, medical decision-making billing led to higher reimbursement for physicians. For longer visits, time-based billing methods led to more reimbursement.
In 2021, CMS made changes to time-based billing, allowing physicians to bill for time spent doing tasks like medical record review and care coordination on the same day a patient is seen.
The study authors, led by researchers from the University of Chicago, wrote that the new time-based billing guidelines allow physicians to spend more time with patients without seeing a decrease in revenue.
"Previous studies have shown that physicians with time constraints are less likely to complete preventive medicine tasks," the authors said. "Therefore, the flexibility in patient scheduling afforded by time-based billing could help physicians better address preventive medicine."
See the full study here.