5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  Medicare data from 2000 to 2021 shows a 32% decline in inflation-adjusted reimbursement for vitreoretinal procedures.

• 2

  The volume of vitreoretinal procedures increased sixfold during the same period, driven largely by a rise in intravitreal injections.

• 3

  Twenty of the 38 analyzed procedures experienced statistically significant decreases in volume, despite overall increases.

• 4

  The cumulative inflation-adjusted reimbursement for vitreoretinal procedures dropped from $742 million in 2010 to $514 million in 2021.

• 5

  Dr. Adelman highlighted concerns about the sustainability of surgical retinal care due to reimbursement rates falling below procedure costs.