A Rigged Game: Surgeon Reimbursement Under the Resource-Based Relative Value System, Current Procedural Terminology, and the Affordable Care Act

The value of surgeon procedural work is currently determined through a fee setting process controlled by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). That process relies on the Resource-Based Relative Value System (RBRVS) to advise CMS concerning surgical work reimbursement. That system, and several other government policy decisions over the last 25 years, have placed orthopedic surgeons at great disadvantage in establishing and maintaining the value of orthopedic surgical work. Continued reliance on RBRVS will result in further reductions in surgical reimbursements and may affect patient access to orthopedic services.
Source: Arthroscopy - Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery - Category: Surgery Authors: Tags: Editorial Commentary Source Type: research