Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

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Don't Forget Geographic Differences, MedPAC Warns

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Congressionally mandated survey of physician spending hit on some important points, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission said in a letter to Vice President Richard Cheney.
 
In particular, MedPAC agreed with AHRQ that physician spending grew alarmingly, by more than 30 percent from 1993 to 1998, and that technological change added to the problem. But MedPAC also warned that policymakers ignore at their peril the massive differences in physician spending across different regions.