National and geographic trends in Medicare reimbursement rates for orthopedic shoulder and upper extremity surgery from 2000 to 2020.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of information regarding financial trends in orthopedic upper extremity surgery. If progress is to be made in advancing agreeable reimbursement models, a more comprehensive understanding of these trends is needed. The purpose of this study was to assess national and geographic trends in Medicare reimbursement rates for shoulder and elbow surgical procedures over the past 2 decades. METHODS: The 10 most billed Common Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for both orthopedic shoulder surgery and elbow/upper arm surgery were determined. Medicare reimbursement data for these CPT codes were compiled between 2000 and 2020 and adjusted for inflation. The percentage change for each procedure and the average change in reimbursement each year were analyzed. Data from 2000, 2010, and 2020 were organized by state. The total percent change in physician fee and the percent change per year were tabulated for each CPT code using inflation-adjusted data and averaged by state. RESULTS: From 2000 to 2020, when corrected for inflation, shoulder and elbow procedures decreased on average by 29.3% and 24.5%, respectively. Shoulder procedures experienced a greater numerical yet statistically insignificant decline in mean reimbursement percent decrease (P = .16), average percent decrease per year (P = .11), a more negative compound annual growth rate (P = .14), and a greater R-squared value as compared with elbow and upper arm procedures. For shoulder procedures, the average percent difference in inflation-adjusted Medicare reimbursement rates from 2000 to 2020 varied from -22.6% in Alaska to -34.1% in Michigan; division data varied from -27.8% in the Mountain Division to -31.2% in the East North Central Division; and region data varied from -28.3% in the West to -30.5% in the Northeast. For elbow and upper arm procedures, the average percent difference in inflation-adjusted Medicare reimbursement rates from 2000 to 2020 varied from -17.6% in Alaska to -29.8% in Michigan; division data varied from -23.0% in the Mountain Division to -26.7% in the East North Central Division; and region data varied from -23.5% in the West to -25.7% in the Northeast. DISCUSSION: Inflation-adjusted Medicare reimbursement in upper extremity surgery has decreased markedly between 2000 and 2020. The degree of decrease varies geographically. If access to quality and sustainable surgical orthopedic care is to persist in the United States, increased awareness of these trends is important. The trends identified in this study can serve to customize regional health care policymaking.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Medicare Reimbursement to Physicians for Common Arthroscopic Procedures: Adjusted Reimbursement Has Fallen Nearly 30% From 2000 to 2019.

PURPOSE: To analyze and objectively measure the trends in inflation-adjusted Medicare reimbursement rates for the 20 most commonly performed orthopaedic arthroscopic surgical procedures from 2000 to 2019. METHODS: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website was used to find the top 20 most commonly performed arthroscopic procedures using the Public Use File data file for calendar year 2017. By use of the Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool, national reimbursement averages were calculated from 2000-2019 and data were analyzed. Averages were adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index. Current Procedural Terminology codes that did not exist in 2000 were unable to be analyzed in this study. RESULTS: When adjusted for inflation, Medicare reimbursement for the 20 most commonly performed arthroscopic procedures from 2000-2019 has decreased substantially (-29.81%). The mean Medicare reimbursement to physicians was $906 in 2000 and $632 in 2019. During this same period, the annual change in the adjusted mean reimbursement rate for all included arthroscopic procedures was -1.8% whereas the average compound annual growth rate was -1.9%. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that when adjusted for inflation, Medicare reimbursement to physicians has decreased by nearly 30% during the past 20 years for the most common arthroscopic procedures. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This analysis will give orthopaedic surgeons and hospital administrators a better understanding of the financial trends surrounding one of the fastest-growing techniques in surgery. Additionally, these financial-trend data will be increasingly important as the population in the United States continues to age and new payment models are introduced.

Between 2000 and 2020, Reimbursement for Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgery Decreased by 30.

Purpose: To examine and analyze Medicare reimbursement rates from 2000 to 2020 for orthopaedic foot and ankle procedures. Methods: The 20 most used orthopaedic foot and ankle surgical procedures were gathered from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website using the Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data Public Use File 2017. The reimbursement data for each code were gathered from The Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The reimbursement values were adjusted for inflation to 2020 U.S. dollars using the consumer price index. Results: The average inflation-adjusted reimbursement for included procedures decreased by 30% from 2000 to 2020. The greatest mean decreases were observed for "correction of hallux valgus" (-47%) and "partial excision of foot bone" (-41%). The procedures with the smallest mean decreases were observed in "treatment of "Amputation of toe" (-19%) and "closed treatment of metatarsal fracture" (-7%). Conclusions: From 2000 to 2020, Inflation-adjusted Medicare reimbursement for foot and ankle surgery decreased by 30%. Level of Evidence: IV; economic analysis.