The Impact of Surgeon Professional Fees to the National Cost of Healthcare

Abstract

In 2009, national health spending increased from 16.6% to 17.6% of the gross national domestic product, to a total of 2.5 trillion dollars, Despite increased spending and the non-realization of scheduled yearly reimbursement cuts dictated by the Sustained Growth Rate (SGR) budget neutrality formula for the past 6 years, when adjusting for inflation, surgeons have seen decreased rates over the last decade. Given the widespread notion that physicians account for the majority of health care spending, either directly or indirectly through their clinical decisions and patterns of resource utilization, the latest cost cutting strategies have proposed further cuts in physician reimbursements as avenues to curtail costs.