The Relative Value Scale Update Committee — RUC — convened by the American Medical Association meets three times a year to develop recommendations for relative value units adjustments and to address the criticisms and challenges it has faced, the RUC has announced a number of important changes, according to an Anesthesia Business Consultants news release.
According to the report, the RUC is a consensus group of physicians representing all the major specialties. The recommendations made by the RUC are sent to CMS, and in recent years, CMS has adopted between 87.4 and 95 percent of the RUC's recommendations.
A number of criticisms from different sources have been levied against the RUC, one of which is the The Washington Post's claim that the RUC's process is not transparent and its methodology is flawed. The Post also claims that relative-value pricing is inconsistent with the current meaning of "value" in healthcare, since "it reflects physician inputs — not patient outcomes."
In response, the RUC has implemented a number of changes. It will begin to publish minutes of its meetings, including the overall votes on RVU recommendations. It will also publish its meeting dates and locations "with greater visibility" and refine its survey methodology, which typically requires only 30 responses, according to the report.
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