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Standing on the banks of the Rubicon
“Where have all the doctors gone?” is the headline on the cover article of the January/February 2025 edition of the AARP Bulletin. Perhaps it should include, “or are going?” The article, which is quite extensive, explores why patients have a…
Track your wRVUs, because no one else does it better
If you were in the audience at the 2024 Southern Association for Vascular Surgery (SAVS) annual meeting, you might have been taken aback by the presentation from UT Health San Antonio and the San Antonio VA Medical Center, presented by…
Coding: Increasing complexity and lost RVUs—a drop in the ocean?
A vascular surgery team at Audie L. Murphy VA Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, uncovers “staggeringly low” numbers of correctly coded billing for three commonly performed vascular procedures, raising concerns over cases with more complex coding. Not long after…
Why should SVS members respond when they receive an invitation to complete an RUC survey?
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) is an active participant in the American Medical Association (AMA)/ Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) process. A very important component of the RUC process is the RUC survey. The rules related…
Trainees step up to learn coding, reimbursement
The Society for Vascular Surgery’s (SVS) efforts in coding and reimbursement work have taken another step forward, with four new doctors now in training to learn the ins and outs of the entire process. The SVS has a long tradition…
CMS confirms Physician Fee Schedule cuts; SVS members asked to contact lawmakers
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) has delivered a blow to vascular surgery in the form of a 7% cut in total payment for the services it provides. The cuts are included in the agency’s final rule for…
Former SVS president named to AMA RUC
The American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees has named SVS’ longtime coding expert and member Robert M. Zwolak, MD, as the AMA alternative representative to the organization’s RVS Update Committee (RUC), and alternative vice chair. The RUC is a unique…
Coding issues: We got you covered
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Coding Committee is best known for its work developing CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes, recommending physician work relative value units (RVUs) as well as working to address Medicare payment issues. However, the committee also…