Medicare payment changes for COVID-19 tests take effect: 3 things to know

A change in how Medicare pays laboratories for COVID-19 diagnostic tests took effect Jan. 1, with a 25 percent pay cut enacted for facilities that take more than two days to complete the tests. 

Three things to know: 

1. Medicare lowered the base payment for COVID-19 tests that use high-throughput technology to $75. Labs can get an additional $25 if they provide results in two days or less.

2. CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the pay change aims to incentivize labs to speed up turnaround for COVID-19 results. 

3. CMS announced the changes in October 2020. 

Read the full policy here

Subscribe to the following topics: medicarecmscovid-19 test

Copyright © 2025 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.


You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information, please review our Privacy Policy.
 

Articles We Think You'll Like