Percutaneous ablation versus surgical ablation and resection of liver tumors: medicare volume and physician reimbursement trends from 2010 to 2018.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze trends in Medicare volume and physician reimbursement for percutaneous ablation, surgical ablation, and resection of liver tumors from 2010 to 2018.

Methods: Claims from the Medicare Part B PSPSMF for the years 2010 to 2018 were extracted using the CPT codes for percutaneous and surgical ablation of liver tumors and surgical liver resection. Total procedural volume and physician payment were analyzed by procedure and physician specialty.

Results: From 2010 to 2018, the volume of percutaneous ablation of liver tumors increased 94.3% from 1630 to 3168 procedures, and the volume of surgical ablations increased 86.2% from 593 to 1104 procedures. In contrast, there was a 16.8% decrease in liver resections from 10,807 to 8994 procedures. Physician reimbursement for percutaneous ablation decreased from $702.41 to $610.11 (- 13.1%). Conversely, reimbursement for resection increased from $849.18 to $1015.06 (19.5%). Reimbursement for surgical ablation also increased from $722.36 to $744.25 (3.0%). In 2018, physician reimbursement for resection and surgical ablation were 66% and 22% more than that for percutaneous ablation.

Conclusion: An increasing number of patients with liver tumors were treated with percutaneous ablation from 2010 to 2018. Despite higher morbidity, a dwindling set of theoretical advantages over percutaneous ablation, and higher overall costs, the volume of surgical ablation also increased over this time period. The findings of this study suggest that a reevaluation of practice and referral patterns for surgical ablation of liver tumors is warranted in many institutions.