American urological association survey of transurethral prostatectomy and the impact of changing medicare reimbursement

A 1987 survey conducted by the American Urological Association showed that transurethral prostatectomy constitutes 38 per cent of the major surgery performed by American urologists. Survey respondents assigned the operation a significantly higher relative value than that proposed in the pending national Medicare Fee Schedule formulated by medical economists and the Physicians Payment Review Commission. Mandated reduced reimbursement combined with shifts to nonsurgical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia creates economic vulnerability for urologists who remain highly dependent on this single operation.