RUC/CPT Committee Shenanigans: Implications for Future of Pain

[drusso]

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Please rate the degree to which you believe the following scenario is likely: A Taliban-esque group of ortho-spine and neuro-spine specialty societies with RUC/CPT representation threatens to take hostage OR-anesthesia codes and devalue them unless anesthesia and pain societies agree to accept a Fairytale re-write of spinal arthrodesis and decompression/fusion instrumentation codes effectively killing minimally invasive spine surgery implants used by pain surgeons.

 

[nvrsumr]

I think medicare already pays a pittance for OR anesthesia codes. Not much left to cut

 

[callmeanesthesia]

Why bother when they can just redefine the CPTs to exclude percutaneous procedures, create a new CPT code for the perc procedures that will facilitate denials, and set the reimbursement rates so low no one will do them. How’s Vertiflex doing since the reimbursement got slashed? Suddenly the KOLs weren’t so passionate about it.

 

[Ferrismonk]

Why bother when they can just redefine the CPTs to exclude percutaneous procedures, create a new CPT code for the perc procedures that will facilitate denials, and set the reimbursement rates so low no one will do them. How’s Vertiflex doing since the reimbursement got slashed? Suddenly the KOLs weren’t so passionate about it.

New cpt would be termed experimental and this denied by everyone except straight Medicare

 

[drusso]

Why bother when they can just redefine the CPTs to exclude percutaneous procedures, create a new CPT code for the perc procedures that will facilitate denials, and set the reimbursement rates so low no one will do them. How’s Vertiflex doing since the reimbursement got slashed? Suddenly the KOLs weren’t so passionate about it.

An organized group of KOL’s is addressing this issue.

 

[nvrsumr]

Are they gonna stab the committee members with their shoes if they don’t agree