Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy/Speech Therapy

Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction

Medicare applied MPPR to the PE payment of select therapy services paid under the physician fee schedule or paid at the physician fee schedule rate. Currently, the reduction is 50 percent for therapy services furnished in office and other non-institutional settings, as well as therapy services furnished in institutional settings. This works much the same way our global surgery policy works.

Many therapy services are time-based codes, i.e., multiple units may be billed for a single procedure. The MPPR applies to the PE payment when more than one unit or procedure is provided to the same patient on the same day, i.e., the MPPR applies to multiple units as well as multiple procedures. Full payment is made for the unit or procedure with the highest PE payment. Effective for claims with dates of service on or after 4/1/2013, full payment is made for work and malpractice and 50 percent payment is made for the PE for subsequent units and procedures, furnished to the same patient on the same day.

For therapy services furnished by a group practice or “incident to” a physician’s service, the MPPR applies to all services furnished to a patient on the same day, regardless of whether the services are provided in one therapy discipline or multiple disciplines, e.g., occupational therapy, physical therapy, or speech-language pathology.

The reduction applies to the HCPCS codes contained on the list of “always therapy” services that are paid under the physician fee schedule, regardless of the type of provider or supplier that furnishes the services.

The MPPR Rate File used to make payment for these therapy services is located on CMS' Therapy Services web page.

Reviewed 11/2/2023