Medicare plans to cut specialists' payments

The Obama administration has announced that it plans to cut Medicare payments for imaging services and specialists, and will use the savings to increase payments to physicians providing primary care. Under the proposal, Medicare would put specialists' payments for evaluating and managing illnesses on par with those of primary-care physicians starting in January. That, combined with other changes, would boost payments to internists, family physicians, general practitioners and geriatric specialists by 6% to 8% next year, said Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services representatives.