Unlike plain sterile water, which must be used immediately after opening due to contamination risk, bacteriostatic water is designed for multi-dose use, the benzyl alcohol inhibits microbial growth, allowing the vial to be accessed multiple times over a 28-day period while maintaining sterility
In other words, in calculating the proposed PE RVUs for CY 2026, we approximated the direct costs for these services and allocated indirect PE RVUs per the standard methodology to both arrive at PE RVUs based on the proposal described above and also maintain relativity with the PE RVUs across the fee schedule
Her comment was that a patient brought these vials in to her office visit and if you look at the vials, they look like they have inkjet-printed labels
Moreover, rapid testing methods are becoming increasingly available, allowing for quicker diagnosis and treatment initiation, which can significantly improve patient outcomes
In the meantime, stay hydrated
Response: We note that, as discussed previously in this section of the final rule, the 2023 CAHPS for MIPS Web Mode Field Test added the web-based survey mode to the current mail-phone protocol of CAHPS for MIPS survey administration, and found that the addition resulted in a 43 percent response rate compared to 28 percent for the mail-phone protocol from the CY 2022 performance period CAHPS for MIPS Survey (89 FR 62043)
