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Business of Medicine/Practice Management

Laryngeal Surgery Reimbursements Have Not Kept Up With Inflation

Tuesday, October 3, 2023
5:33 PM - 5:39 PM East Coast USA Time
Location: 106A

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Rahul A. Patel

    Medical Student
    Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine At Quinnipiac University
    Burlington, NJ, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Sina j. Torabi, MD

    Resident
    University of California, irvine
    Orange, California, United States

  • SI

    Said Izreig, MD

    Resident
    Yale School of Medicine, USA

    • Senior Author(s)

  • RM

    R. Peter Manes, MD

    Associate Professor
    Yale School of Medicine
    New Haven, CT, United States

Disclosure(s):
Rahul A. Patel: No relevant relationships to disclose.
R. Peter Peter Manes, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Introduction: Numerous studies among different specialties have suggested that inflation-adjusted Medicare reimbursements have steadily declined in the last few decades. The objective of this study is to investigate whether this is true within the field of head and neck surgery, specifically laryngeal procedures.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of the 2000-2021 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician Fee Schedule investigating fees for laryngeal surgeries (Current Procedural Terminology [CPT] codes 31530, 31531, 31535, 31536, 31540, 31541, 31545, 31546, 31551-31554, 31560, 31561, 31570), and laryngectomy (CPTs 31360, 31365, 31367, 31368, 31370, 31375, 31380, 31382, 31390, 31395). United States consumer price index (CPI) was used to adjust all gathered data for inflation to 2021 US dollars.

Results: During the study period, unadjusted reimbursement for non-facility and facility laryngeal surgeries decreased an average of 6.1% and 6.6%, respectively. When adjusting for inflation, non-facility and facility laryngeal surgeries saw an average decrease of 17.8% (p < 0.001) and 28.5% (p < 0.001), respectively. Unadjusted reimbursement for non-facility and facility laryngectomies saw an average decrease of 5.8% and increase of 40.2%, respectively. When adjusting for inflation, non-facility and facility laryngectomies saw an average decrease of 14.1% (p < 0.001) and 8.9% (p < 0.001), respectively.

Conclusions: In terms of inflation-adjusted dollars, reimbursements for laryngeal procedures have seen a large decrease in the last two decades. Understanding reimbursement trends is critical for sustainability of otolaryngology practices, and can be used by surgeons, hospital systems, and policymakers to guide future healthcare legislation.