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Scientific Oral Presentations

Business of Medicine/Practice Management

Session: Scientific Oral Presentations - Business of Medicine/Practice Management

Political Engagement of Otolaryngologists: A Comparative Analysis of Contributions and Reimbursement Trends Across Specialties

Sunday, September 29, 2024
2:42 PM – 2:48 PM EDT
Location: MBCC, 233
Disclosure(s):
Nathaniel B. Hunter, BS:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Andrew K. Morse, BS:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Aidan P. Wright, BS:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Ella E. Hawes, BS:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

David Z. Allen, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: Recent evidence suggests increased political engagement among otolaryngologists, with sources speculating that such advocacy may influence reimbursement trends. However, limited data examines whether political involvement influences reimbursement rates. Our primary aim was to evaluate for any correlation between political contributions and reimbursement trends across specific specialties and compare the political engagement of otolaryngologists with other specialties.

Methods: Political donations from individuals and Political Action Committees for each specialty between January 1, 2013, through December 1, 2023, were collected from publicly available data (FEC.gov and opensecrets.org). Reimbursement rates for each specialty’s common Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System Level II codes were collected using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Physician Fee schedule tool. Statistical analysis involved linear regression to discern the potential impacts of political contributions on reimbursement rate trends.

Results: Otolaryngologists experienced an overall decline in reimbursement by 29.07% from 2013-2023. Other specialties also saw a change, with dermatologists encountering the most significant impact and orthopedists the least impact, with a 30.07% and 24.58% reduction, respectively. Reimbursements declined at a steeper pace in recent years, with a mean yearly reduction of 1.24% from 2012-2019 compared to 5.53% between 2020-2023 (p < 0.001). Linear regression showed that individual donations did not affect any specialty’s reimbursement rates (p = 0.9). However, greater contributions made by the ENTPAC and Orthopaedic PAC were associated with smaller declines in reimbursement (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01, respectively).

Conclusions: Political involvement, as quantified by monetary donations, does not appear to correlate with compensation trends within otolaryngology and other notable specialties. Consequently, physicians should seek alternative advocacy strategies to influence healthcare policy given the rapidly declining reimbursement rates after 2020.

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Nathaniel B. Hunter, BS

    Medical Student
    McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas at Houston
    Houston, Texas, United States

    Disclosure(s):

    faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Andrew K. Morse, BS

    Medical Student
    McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas at Houston
    Houston, TX, United States

    Disclosure(s):

    faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

  • Aidan P. Wright, BS

    Medical Student
    McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas at Houston
    Houston, TX, United States

    Disclosure(s):

    faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

  • Ella E. Hawes, BS

    Medical Student
    McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas at Houston
    Houston, TX, United States

    Disclosure(s):

    faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

  • DA

    David Z. Allen, MD

    Resident
    Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston
    Houston, TX, United States

    Disclosure(s):

    faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Senior Author(s)

  • KJ

    Kunal S. Jain, MD

    Associate Professor
    Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston
    Houston , Texas, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.