Physician payment reform: how will medical specialties fare under the new Medicare fee schedule?
In 1989, the federal government legislated a major overhaul of the Medicare payment system for physician services, to be implemented beginning in January 1992. Under the new plan, payments will be set according to a national fee schedule based primarily on a "resource-based relative value scale." This article summarizes the development of the new payment system and explores the likely impact of its implementation on medical and surgical specialties.
Becker
E R
ER
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Adams
E K
EK
Fleming
N S
NS
D004470:Economics, Medical; D005245:Fee Schedules; D016345:Medicare Part B / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011907:Rate Setting and Review; D015895:Relative Value Scales; D013038:Specialization; D014481:United States