Medicare reimbursement rates for the 20 most common neurosurgery procedures fell by 11.2 percent, adjusted for inflation, between 2002 and 2021, according to a May 4 report from Medscape.
The largest change was in reimbursements for the excision of a cerebellopontine angle tumor via removal of skull bone, with payments falling 24.3 percent.
Reimbursements only rose for two neurosurgery procedures in that period, according to the report.
Overall, Medicare physician reimbursements fell 22 percent in the same time period, according to the American Medical Association.