More work for the same pay: trends in urethroplasty reimbursement from the medicare physician fee schedule (2013–2023)

Urethroplasty faces a distinctive economic burden: rising clinical demand paired with stagnant nominal and substantially declining real reimbursement. While reimbursement erosion affects all urologic procedures studied, the combination of increasing utilization and inadequate payment adjustment is uniquely pronounced for reconstructive urology. Long-term sustainability will require reimbursement models that align payment with evidence-based, high-value surgical care.