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. 2018 May 1;91(6):1062-1067.
doi: 10.1002/ccd.27363. Epub 2017 Oct 31.

Public unawareness of physician reimbursement

Nicole Lilly Herrick  1 , John Fontanesi  1 , Toni Rush  1   2 , Richard A Schatz  3
Affiliations

Public unawareness of physician reimbursement

Nicole Lilly Herrick et al. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. .

Abstract

Objectives: To assess subjects' perception of healthcare costs and physician reimbursement.

Background: The lack of transparency in healthcare reimbursement leaves patients and physicians unaware of the distribution of health care dollars.

Methods: Anonymous survey-based study by means of convenience sampling. Participants were asked to estimate the total hospital cost and physician fee for one of the six medical procedures (n = 250).

Results: On the average for all 6 procedures, patients estimated the total cost was $36,177, ∼1,540% more than the actual Medicare rate of $7,333. Similarly, patients estimated the physician fee was $7,694, 1,474% more the actual Medicare rate of $589.

Conclusion: Patients' perception of the total cost and physician fee are significantly higher than Medicare rates for all 6 procedures. This lack of insight may have widespread negative implications on the patient-physician relationship, on political trends to reduce physician reimbursement, and on a physician's desire to continue practicing medicine.

Keywords: health care finance; hospital reimbursement; physician reimbursement.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Total cost: perception and value. Graphic results for perception of the total bill and what respondents think it should be (mean), broken down by procedure type. The Medicare reimbursement for each procedure is listed, based off 2015 rates. The minimum and maximum values for each procedure are as follows: • New pacemaker implant (patients: $500–$200,000, physicians: $10,000–$50,000) • Cardiac ablation (patients: $1,600–$150,000, physicians: $10,000–$50,000) • Single stent placement (patients: $2,500–$157,000, physicians: $5,000–$35,000) • Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (patients: $2,000–$250,000, physicians: $1,100–$12,000) • Inguinal hernia repair (patients: $240–$180,000, physicians $3,000–$12,000) • Colonoscopy (patients $500–$1,000,000, physicians: $800–$8,800)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Physician fee: perception and value. Graphic results for perception of the physician fee and what respondents think it should be (mean), broken down by procedure type. The Medicare reimbursement for each procedure is listed, based off 2015 rates. The minimum and maximum values for each procedure are as follows: • New pacemaker implant (patients: $300–$50,000, physicians: $200–$7,000) • Cardiac ablation (patients: $300–$35,000, physicians: $450–$2,500) • Single stent placement (patients: $800–$40,000, physicians: $300–$2,000) • Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (patients: $150–$80,000, physicians: $200–$780) • Inguinal hernia repair (patients: $120–$20,000, physicians: $300–$2,400) • Colonoscopy (patients: $250–$100,000, physicians: $200–$2,500)
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References

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