Although bundling of endoscopic procedures on the same day is convenient for patients, is efficient for providers and offers cost savings, the procedures are often separated on different days because reimbursements are higher that way, according to a report by Internal Medicine News.
In a study presented at Digestive Disease Week, same-day bundling was not used in 37 percent of a national sample of Medicare patients who had both colonoscopy and upper endoscopy within 180 days. The two procedures were separated from each other by a median of only 26 days, and nearly 30 percent were just four days or fewer apart.
Medicare reimbursement for bundled procedures is substantially lower than payment for separate procedures. For example, reimbursement for esophagogastroduodenoscopy is $75 when bundled but $150 when separate, while an upper GI endoscopic biopsy is $88 when bundled but $177 when separate.
Read the Internal Medicine News report on endoscopy payment.
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