Decrease in Medicare Reimbursement for Single-laceration Repairs in the Emergency Department.

Abstract

Reimbursement policies in the U.S. are complex. Physicians submit charges for their services to Medicare according to their fees, which Medicare determines based on the intensity and costs of services. Then, Medicare chooses to allow or deny these charges and reimburse the providers. Physicians have changed their assignment rates, prices submitted, and the frequency of services offered- all in accordance with changes in reimbursement policies.1 The correlation of increased costs of medical care services due to increased prices and intensity of services has correlated to lower Medicare reimbursement trends.2,3.