The Relative Value Scale Update Committee: Understanding How Dermatologists' Work Is Valued

Most dermatologists work daily with Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes and relative value units but have limited insight into how those values are set. This column reviews the American Medical Association (AMA)/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC), the expert panel that recommends physician work and practice-expense values to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We describe the RUC's composition, dermatology's representation through the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), and the pathway by which a code is valued or revalued. Central to that pathway is the RUC survey, through which practicing physicians supply the time and intensity estimates that anchor each recommendation; we outline what the survey asks and offer practical guidance for completing one. Because the dollar value of an relative value unit (RVU) is set by the congressionally controlled Medicare conversion factor, we also summarize current payment-reform legislation and avenues for dermatologist advocacy.