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Program Number: B101
Session Name: Poster Session

An Analysis of Trends in Reimbursement for Thyroid Surgery from 2000 to 2023

Philip Brauer, MD; Malaak Saadah, BS; David Octeau, MD; Benjamin Wajsberg, MD; Eric Lamarre, MD; Jamie Ku, MD; Mario Skugor, MD; Danielle Bottalico, MD; Natalie Silver, MD; Brandon Prendes, MD; Joseph Scharpf, MD; Cleveland Clinic

Objective: In 2024 the Senate Finance Committee released a white paper outlining future reforms to the Medicare payment models. The objective of our study was to characterize trends in Medicare reimbursement for thyroid surgery and to provide evidence for future discussions on payment reforms.

Study Design: A retrospective analysis using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) from 2000 to 2023.

Methods: The reimbursement rates for thyroid surgery and changes in reimbursement over time were retrieved from the PFS database.  Dollar amounts were adjusted to January 2023 US dollars. Annual reimbursement was averaged nationally, and compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and linear regression were used to characterize trends.

Results: Medicare reimbursement for thyroid surgeries has decreased 38.8% between 2000 and 2023 when adjusted for inflation (Figure). The reimbursement for total thyroidectomy demonstrated the greatest decline at 47.8%. Thyroid lobectomy and completion thyroidectomy both had reduced reimbursements at 41.7% and 25.5%, respectively. The compound annual growth rate for thyroid surgeries as a whole was 0.36% when not adjust for inflation and -2.11% when adjusted for inflation.

Conclusion: Our study found an almost 40% decrease in the rate of reimbursement for thyroid surgery, with total thyroidectomy having the greatest decrease at 47.8%. These findings provide evidence that current trends are not sustainable. Otolaryngologists should take a proactive approach to improving reimbursements before these changes impact patient access to thyroid surgery.

 

 

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