As announced in the October 30, 2009 press release, “CMS is also finalizing its proposal to stop making payment for consultation codes…” CMS has increased the RVUs for new and established patients by six percent and for initial and subsequent hospital visits by two percent, thus making the change budget neutral for them.  Primary care physicians will benefit greatly from the increased RVUs for office and hospital visits; however, specialists who rely on consultation codes will take a significant hit to their bottom line, as the consultation codes paid far more than the new patient codes. Consultation codes have not been eliminated from the 2010 CPT® Manual, although new commentary has been added about “transfer of care”. You’ll need to check with your commercial payers to determine the status of reimbursement.