The Devaluation of Otolaryngology: An Evaluation of CMS’s Involvement in Physician Reimbursement

COMMENT: The study clearly documents a significant increase in CMS’s intervention in physician payment valuation, marking a shift from earlier deference to RUC’s findings. This devaluation trend has important consequences for procedural reimbursement in otolaryngology and raises critical questions about the influence of specialty societies on national physician payment policy.— Sarah Rapoport, MD