Journal Article Use of Physician Services under Medicare's Resource-Based Payments
Stephanie Maxwell, Stephen Zuckerman, Robert A. Berenson
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This paper demonstrates that while fees for physician evaluation and management increased over the first ten years of the Medicare Fee Schedule, the quantity of imaging services and non-major procedures increased even more, making the share of program spending on evaluation and management services in 2002 the same as it was in 1992. Two factors explained the differential spending growth across types of services: the introduction of new services and the process for reviewing and revising fees. The authors argue that differences in expenditure growth across service types affect Medicare's costs and should be considered in the program's spending control policies.
Research Areas Health and health care
Tags Health care delivery and payment Hospitals and physicians Medicare
Policy Centers Health Policy Center