2021 AANA/ASES Specialty Session-Call to Arms: An Update on Health Care Reform & Advocacy

Call to Arms: An Update on Health Care Reform & Advocacy

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Lou McIntyre delivered a compelling update on healthcare reform in orthopedic surgery, highlighting a 30-40% inflation-adjusted reimbursement decline over decades, with reimbursements for office visits soon equaling surgeries. He criticized the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) system as biased against surgeons, citing bundled codes and payment denials. McIntyre urged abandoning CPT for value-based care, where surgical services are priced as comprehensive episodes, requiring robust infrastructure and data collection. He presented evidence from Boston showing improved outcomes and reimbursement under value-based models. Embracing this shift could restore surgeon autonomy, streamline claims, and counter payer dominance, marking a critical paradigm shift in orthopedic care advocacy.

Asset Caption

Louis F. McIntyre, M.D.

Keywords

orthopedic surgery

healthcare reform

reimbursement decline

value-based care

Current Procedural Terminology