A new national analysis examining Medicare reimbursements for the top 10 GI procedures finds a sharp, long-term decline in physician payments—raising concerns about future access to gastroenterology care as the U.S. population ages.
Between 2003 and 2023, inflation-adjusted Medicare physician reimbursements in facility settings fell by nearly 46% nationwide, with declines observed across all regions. While the Northeast and West consistently received higher reimbursements, the South and Midwest saw persistently lower payments despite differing levels of GI physician supply.
The study highlights several paradoxes:
- The South has the highest GI physician supply and demand, yet consistently lower Medicare reimbursements
- The Midwest has the lowest supply, but similar low reimbursement levels
- Regional reimbursement patterns do not consistently align with physician supply or projected demand
Overall, associations between reimbursement, physician supply, and demand were observed, but these relationships were inconsistent and region-dependent, suggesting that reimbursement alone does not explain workforce distribution. Structural factors—such as geographic payment adjustments, socioeconomic conditions, rurality, and healthcare infrastructure—appear to play a major role.