Background: Given the uncertainty of US health care finances, an understanding of reimbursement trends has become increasingly important in the field of cardiac surgery. We aimed to assess Medicare reimbursement trends for common cardiac surgical procedures from 2000 to 2022.

Methods: Reimbursement data were extracted from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool during the study period for 6 common cardiac operations: aortic valve replacement, mitral valve repair and replacement, tricuspid valve replacement, Bentall procedure, and coronary artery bypass grafting. Reimbursement rates were adjusted for inflation to 2022 US dollars using the Consumer Price Index. Total percentage change and compound annual growth rate were calculated. A split-time analysis was performed to assess trends before and after 2015. Least squares and linear regressions were performed. The R value was calculated for each procedure, and slope was used to determine change in reimbursements over time.

Results: Inflation-adjusted reimbursement decreased by 34.1% during the study period. The overall compound annual growth rate was -1.8%. Reimbursement trends differed by procedure (P < .001), with all reimbursements trending down (R > 0.62), except for mitral valve replacement (P = .21) and tricuspid valve replacement (P = .43). Coronary artery bypass grafting decreased the most (-44.4%), followed by aortic valve replacement (-40.1%), mitral valve repair (-38.5%), mitral valve replacement (-29.8%), Bentall procedure (-28.5%), and tricuspid valve replacement (-25.3%). In split-time analysis, reimbursement rates did not significantly change from 2000 to 2015 (P = .24) but decreased significantly from 2016 to 2022 (P = .001).

Conclusions: Medicare reimbursement significantly decreased for most cardiac surgical procedures. These trends justify further advocacy by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons to maintain access to quality cardiac surgical care.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2023.06.023DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

valve replacement
28
mitral valve
16
medicare reimbursement
12
reimbursement trends
12
cardiac surgical
12
tricuspid valve
12
reimbursement
9
valve
9
cardiac surgery
8
common cardiac
8

Similar Publications

Microtextured microneedles are tiny needle-like structures with micron-scale microtextures, and the drugs stored in the microtextures can be released after entering the skin to achieve the effect of precise drug delivery. In this study, the skin substitution model of Ogden's hyperelastic model and the microneedle array and microtexture models with different geometrical parameters were selected to simulate and analyse the flow of the microtexture microneedle arrays penetrating the skin by the finite-element method, and the length of the microneedles was determined to be 200 μm, the width 160 μm, and the value of the gaps was determined to be 420 μm. A four-pronged cone was chosen as the shape of microneedles, and a rectangle was chosen as the shape of the drug-carrying microneedle.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

One-year hemodynamic and clinical outcomes in self-expanding valves: Comparison of ACURATE neo2 versus ACURATE neo.

Cardiovasc Revasc Med

December 2024

Department of Cardiology and Catheterization Laboratories, Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, Okamoto 1370-1, Kamakura City, Kanagawa 247-8533, Japan. Electronic address:

Background/purpose: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with ACURATE neo2 showed better hemodynamic outcomes by mitigating paravalvular leakage (PVL) compared with ACURATE neo, and revealed promising one-year outcomes in single-arm studies. However, studies comparing the hemodynamic and clinical outcomes of the two valves are still scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the one-year hemodynamic and clinical outcomes between the neo2 and neo.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Is connective tissue disorder a risk factor for durability after valve-sparing root replacement?

Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg

December 2024

Aortic Center, Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH. Electronic address:

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The need for a permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation after surgical aortic valve implantation (SAVR) is a recognized postoperative complication, with potentially long-term reduced survival. From 1987 to 2017, 2500 consecutive patients underwent SAVR with a biological valve with or without concomitant procedures such as CABG or mitral valve repair. Mechanical valves or valves in another position were excluded.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bioprosthetic aortic valve degeneration (BAVD) is a significant clinical concern following both transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). The increasing use of bioprosthetic valves in aortic valve replacement in younger patients and the subsequent rise in cases of BAVD are acknowledged in this review which aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the incidence, diagnosis, predictors, and management of BAVD. Based on a thorough review of the existing literature, this article provides an updated overview of the biological mechanisms underlying valve degeneration, including calcification, structural deterioration, and inflammatory processes and addresses the various risk factors contributing to BAVD, such as patient demographics, comorbidities, and procedural variables.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!