Medicare Reimbursement to Physicians Decreased for Common Emergency Medicine Services From 2000 to 2020

Orthopaedic Group Practice Size Is Increasing

“…The proportion of orthopaedic surgeons working in groups sized 25 to 99 grew from 20.7% (4,387) in 2012 to 23.4% (5,048) in 2020. The proportions of groups sized 100 to 499 and 500 or greater also increased between 2012 and 2020, from 16.9% (3,593) to 24.1% (5,190) and from 14.0% (2,964) to 22.9% (4,945), respectively.…”

“…In contrast, groups sized 25 to 99 have grown from 20.7% (4,387) of all orthopaedic surgeons to 23.4% (5,048) in 2020. Groups sized 100 to 499 have increased from 16.9% (3,593) in 2012 to 24.1% (5,190) in 2020, whereas groups sized 500 or greater have grown from 14% (2,964) in 2012 to 22.9% (4,945) in 2020. The number of unique group practices showed a significant decrease in the number of solo groups, which comprised 43.…”

“…3 , 4 Further influencing these changes is the declining Medicare reimbursement for physicians among many specialties, including orthopaedic surgery. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 Nationally, the percentage of hospital-employed physicians increased by more than 70% from 2012 to 2018 according to the Physicians Advocacy Institute. 10 From 2016 to 2018, an estimated 6,000 physician practices were acquired by hospitals, with the percentage of hospital-owned practices increasing by 5% in less than 2 years.…”

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

“…Medicare reimbursement trends have been quantified in specialties such as emergency medicine, orthopaedic surgery subspecialties, general surgery, oncology, and neurosurgery. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 The purposes of this study were to examine and analyze Medicare reimbursement rates from 2000 to 2020 for orthopaedic foot and ankle procedures. We hypothesized that Medicare reimbursement, when adjusted for inflation, would have decreased substantially over the past 2 decades for all commonly performed procedures by foot and ankle surgeons.…”

Emergency Physician Reimbursement: Getting Shortchanged or Shrewdly Negotiating?

“…In this issue of Annals, Pollock et al 1 present an analysis of Medicare reimbursement rates for common emergency physician services during the past 2 decades. This approach provides historical context and allows a more nuanced analysis of Medicare policy.…”