Trends in Medicare Work Relative Value Unit Payment Rates Across Physician Specialties: 2018-2024

The authors aimed to assess the impact of recent Medicare Physician Fee Schedule revisions on work relative value unit (wRVU) payment rates across various physician specialties from 2018 to 2024. Their analysis revealed a narrowing of the payment-rate gap between medical and surgical specialties, from 5.4% in 2018 to 1.6% in 2024, although the trends indicated that primary care and nonsurgical specialties experienced faster increases compared to surgical specialties. The findings suggest that while the revisions have reduced the payment-rate disparity, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule may not effectively address broader compensation differences among specialties.