Trend to Watch: The Impact of CMS on Physician Pay

Outpatient Surgery Magazine sat down with three prominent physicians to discuss the latest CMS rule regarding physician pay and the impact it will have on the profession and OR teams they work with every day.

According to the article, “Physician pay, specifically the fee schedule in which CMS reimburses providers for services, is at an inflection point right now. Between inflation and perpetually declining Medicare cuts, there is a desperate need for reform… and is having major implications for the entire ambulatory surgery center industry.”

In the article titled “A Question of Value,” Outpatient Surgery Magazine captured compelling details and striking comments about the state of physician pay and how it is affecting the industry as a whole.

The issues raised include CMS classifying procedures as in-patient only, ongoing fee-cuts and financial sustainability as “physicians are making around 30% less than we were 20 years ago. Essentially, the value of what we as physicians do is plummeting,” according to one of the panelists.

The editor-in-chief of Outpatient Surgery Magazine, Jared Bilski, also investigated the call for action to advocate for change as he interviewed these physicians to present important trends that continue to define “this flawed landscape.” For the full article, go here.