A perverse quality incentive in surgery: implications of reimbursing surgeons less for doing laparoscopic surgery

Amanda N. Fader, Tim Xu, Brian J. Dunkin, Martin A. Makary
2016 Surgical Endoscopy  
Surgery is one of the highest priced services in health care, and complications from surgery can be serious and costly. Recently, advances in surgical techniques have allowed surgeons to perform many common operations using minimally invasive methods that result in fewer complications. Despite this, the rates of open surgery remain high across multiple surgical disciplines. Methods This is an expert commentary and review of the contemporary literature regarding minimally invasive surgery
more » ... es nationwide, the benefits of less invasive approaches, and how minimally invasive compared with open procedures are differentially reimbursed in the United States. We explore the incentive of the current surgeon reimbursement fee schedule and its potential implications.
doi:10.1007/s00464-016-5170-9 pmid:27752810 pmcid:PMC5576022 fatcat:akv37gpjjfbjbowr3xujipqlyi