A physician committee that recommends Medicare payments for physicians each year has provoked debate about its control of taxpayer dollars, according to a California Healthline report.
The Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee, or RUC, has submitted more than 7,000 recommendations to CMS on appropriate payments since 1991. According to the report, CMS has accepted more than 94 percent of the committee's recommendations.
Critics say the committee's power means more money spent on sophisticated procedures rather than primary care. This redirection could ultimately hurt patient care, they say, according to the report.
Read the California Healthline report on RUC.
Read more on compensation:
-4 Trends Affecting For-Profit Hospital Executive Compensation
-Former CEO Accuses California's Tulare County of Overpaying Physicians
The Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee, or RUC, has submitted more than 7,000 recommendations to CMS on appropriate payments since 1991. According to the report, CMS has accepted more than 94 percent of the committee's recommendations.
Critics say the committee's power means more money spent on sophisticated procedures rather than primary care. This redirection could ultimately hurt patient care, they say, according to the report.
Read the California Healthline report on RUC.
Read more on compensation:
-4 Trends Affecting For-Profit Hospital Executive Compensation
-Former CEO Accuses California's Tulare County of Overpaying Physicians