Can survey data be used to estimate physician practice costs?

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Medical Economics
• Survey Methodology

Background:

• Health policy makers utilize physician practice cost survey data to establish reimbursement rates.
• Significant funding is allocated to collect survey data for revising Medicare Fee Schedule payments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine obstacles in obtaining accurate physician practice cost estimates from surveys.
• To evaluate the suitability of physician surveys for informing healthcare reimbursement policies.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of unit and item nonresponse rates over time in physician surveys.
• Examination of logical inconsistencies within collected survey data.
• Assessment of the accuracy of physician practice cost data derived from surveys.

Main Results:

• A trend of decreasing unit response rates and increasing item response rates was observed.
• Logical inconsistencies in survey data raise concerns about data reliability.
• Physician surveys may not be the optimal data source for physician practice expenses.

Conclusions:

• The accuracy of physician practice cost surveys for reimbursement setting is questionable.
• Health policy makers must critically evaluate the reliability of survey-derived data.
• Alternative methodologies should be explored for incorporating physician practice costs into reimbursement rates.