Money Coming Inwards Through The Dorsum Door?
Sunday, September 20, 2020
Robert Pear at the New York Times offers an splendid summary of findings yesteryear the General Accountability Office that the physical care for used yesteryear the Medicare way (CMS) to decide the relative weightings for $70 billion physician payments has major flaws. That CMS weighting is too used yesteryear nearly somebody insurance companies equally the terra firma for physician payments. This is a theme that has received coverage over the years, simply trivial has changed.
(A interruption hither to inquire in addition to get upwards dorsum to a previous post: When was the concluding fourth dimension yous heard 1 of the Triple Aim advocates—inside or exterior of CMS--take on this issue, which has a straight effect inwards how much main tending doctors in addition to other cognitive specialists expire paid?)
But, at that spot is an of import reminder inwards this story. Pear notes (with my emphasis added):
“Under federal law, Medicare fees are supposed to reverberate the fourth dimension required to perform a service in addition to the intensity of the work.”
Uh oh. Let’s reckon how the pervasive purpose of robotic operation volition share into this calculation. For example, inwards the past, nearly prostatectomies would conduct maintain been done equally opened upwards procedures or using a manual laparoscopic approach.
Now, due to a highly successful marketing elbow grease yesteryear Intuitive Surgical in addition to by doctors in addition to hospitals that conduct maintain showcased their robotic operation program, the vast bulk of these cases are performed robotically. This has increased the required fourth dimension inwards the operating rooms.
The same applies to other procedures inwards which Intuitive has made in addition to volition brand inroads—gall bladder removal, hysterectomies, hernia repairs, in addition to and then on.
Is this a back-door way for surgeons to have to a greater extent than coin for the same procedures?