Changes in gastroenterology service volumes and billing patterns associated with declining Medicare reimbursement.

Abstract

Introduction: Efforts to control health spending within the United States have led to reductions in physician reimbursement. This study aims to elucidate the effects of such efforts on physician behavior and care access.

Methods: For all gastrointestinal procedures, public Medicare datasets were reviewed to extract variables of interest, leveraging a t-test to assess significant change over time.

Results: Between 2018 and 2022, there was a decrease in professional reimbursement (-18%) (p<0.01), procedure frequency (-11%) (p=0.04), and number of gastroenterologists performing each procedure (-7%) (p=0.04).

Discussion: Within Medicare, decreasing procedural reimbursement is associated with decreased procedural volumes and fewer participating gastroenterologists.