Reports on Insurance from Northwestern Medicine Provide New Insights [A 20-year Analysis of Medicare Reimbursement for Abdominal Wall Reconstruction (2000 To 2020)]: Insurance

Health Policy and Law Daily

2023 OCT 25 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- A new study on Insurance is now available. According to news reporting from Lake Forest, Illinois, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “The purpose of this study was to evaluate monetary trends in Medicare reimbursement rates for 30 abdominal wall reconstruction surgical procedures over a 20-year period (2000 to 2020). The Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was used for each of the 30 included current CPT codes, and reimbursement data were extracted.”

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Northwestern Medicine, “Monetary data were adjusted for inflation to 2020 U.S. dollars using changes to the United States consumer price index. The R2 values for the average annual percentage change and the average total percentage change in reimbursement were calculated based on these adjusted trends for all included procedures. After adjusting for inflation, the average reimbursement for all procedures decreased by 17.1% from 2000 to 2020. The greatest mean decrease was observed for CPT code 49568 (the implantation of mesh or other prosthesis for open incisional or ventral hernia repair or mesh for closure of debridement for necrotizing soft-tissue infection, -34.4%). The only procedure with an increased adjusted reimbursement rate throughout the study period was CPT code 20680 (+3.9%). From 2000 to 2020, the adjusted reimbursement rate for all included procedures decreased by an average of 0.85% each year, with an average R2 value of 0.78, indicating a stable decline throughout the study period. Reimbursement rates are declining when adjusted for inflation.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Increased awareness of these trends is helpful to maintain access to optimal abdominal reconstruction care in the United States.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: A 20-year Analysis of Medicare Reimbursement for Abdominal Wall Reconstruction (2000 To 2020). Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, 2023;152(3):644-651. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Chad M. Teven, Northwestern Medicine, Dept. of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 1000 North Westmoreland, Lake Forest, IL 60035, United States. Additional authors for this research include Maya T. Harrington, Javier Janbieh, Jack M. Haglin, Jacob B. Hammond, Danielle A. Thornburg, David Pearson, Kristi Harold, Alanna M. Rebecca and Michael A. Howard.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1097/prs.0000000000010247. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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