Declining trends in Medicare physician reimbursements for surgical procedures in orthopaedic oncology from 2002 to 2018: a retrospective review of payment data

Background: As the United States (US) healthcare system evolves towards cost-containment and value-based approaches, evaluating trends in procedure reimbursements will be critical for assessing and ensuring financial stability of highly specialized fields, such as orthopaedic oncology. Methods: The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) look-up tool was accessed through the official Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services website and used to retrieve average reimbursement rates for 28 common orthopaedic oncologic procedures (radical resections of soft tumors, bone tumors, and prophylactic treatment, nailing, or pinning) from 2002 to 2018. All reimbursement data were adjusted for inflation to 2018 dollars. For each Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code, average reimbursement percentage change from 2002 to 2018 was calculated. Results: Based on the included codes, physician payment data for 28 surgical procedures from 2002 to 2018 were retrieved from the MPFS database. After adjusting all data for inflation, the average reimbursement for all included procedures decreased by 9.9% from 2002 to 2018, representing an estimated average decrease of 1.1% every couple of years. Reimbursement percentage decreases were the most significant prior to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), with reimbursements decreasing by an average of 5.8% from 2002 to 2014. However, reimbursement rates still declined by an average of 4.3% from 2014 to 2018 (after MACRA). Discussion: Reimbursements for orthopaedic oncologic procedures have steadily decreased over time. With orthopaedic oncology being a highly specialized field with few practicing providers, health policy makers need to understand the financial implications of the declining reimbursement rates to ensure financial stability and viability of the specialty. Level of Evidence: Level III.