Between 2000 and 2020, Reimbursement for Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgery Decreased by 30%

PURPOSE: To examine and analyze Medicare reimbursement rates from 2000 to 2020 for orthopaedic foot and ankle procedures. METHODS: The 20 most used orthopaedic foot and ankle surgical procedures were gathered from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website using the Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data Public Use File 2017. The reimbursement data for each code were gathered from The Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The reimbursement values were adjusted for inflation to 2020 U.S. dollars using the consumer price index. RESULTS: The average inflation-adjusted reimbursement for included procedures decreased by 30% from 2000 to 2020. The greatest mean decreases were observed for “correction of hallux valgus” (–47%) and “partial excision of foot bone” (–41%). The procedures with the smallest mean decreases were observed in “treatment of “Amputation of toe” (–19%) and “closed treatment of metatarsal fracture” (–7%). CONCLUSIONS: From 2000 to 2020, Inflation-adjusted Medicare reimbursement for foot and ankle surgery decreased by 30%. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV; economic analysis.