Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/937560
29 GI/ENDOSCOPY Colonoscopy Price for 30 Largest US Cities By Laura Dyrda O f the 30 largest cities in the U.S., colonoscopies cost the most in New York City, with Milwaukee not far behind, according to Healthcare Bluebook. e price for colonoscopies includes the rea- sonable expectation for the outpatient proce- dure costs, including anesthesia and physician services. e prices outlined below represent average prices for each city, selected based on population from the 2010 U.S. Census and arranged from most to least expensive. 1. New York City: $2,712 2. Milwaukee: $2,511 3. Houston: $2,218 4. Austin, Texas: $2,110 5. Charlotte, N.C.: $2,092 6. Dallas: $2,050 7. Fort Worth, Texas: $2,050 8. Boston: $2,033 9. Columbus, Ohio: $2,024 10. Louisville, Ky.: $1,903 11. El Paso, Texas: $1,894 12. Portland, Ore.: $1,815 13. Indianapolis: $1,805 14. Seattle: $1,800 15. Chicago: $1,715 16. Denver: $1,696 17: Washington, D.C.: $1,636 18. Baltimore: $1,622 19. Jacksonville, Fla.: $1,620 20. Los Angeles: $1,560 21. San Diego: $1,560 22. Phoenix: $1,545 23. San Jose, Calif.: $1,543 24. San Francisco: $1,543 25. Memphis, Tenn.: $1,508 26. Detroit: $1,471 27. Philadelphia: $1,455 28. Las Vegas: $1,414 29. San Antonio: $1,373 30. Nashville, Tenn.: $1,141 n Medtronic Acquires GI Device Maker for $45M — 4 Insights By Eric Oliver M edtronic acquired Crospon Limited, a gastrointestinal device marker, for $45 million, FORA reports. Here's what you should know: 1. Crospon created the EndoFLIP, a device that provides gastroenterologists an internal view of the oesophagus. 2. Medtronic will integrate Crospon into its respi- ratory, gastrointestinal and informatics business. 3. In a LinkedIn post, Crospon CEO John O'Dea said, "We are delighted to have EndoFLIP today become part of Medtronic's industry-leading gastrodiagnostic platform sitting alongside cat- egory leaders such as Manoscan, Pillcam, Smart- Pill, Bravo and Digitrapper. We look forward to an emerging future where index endoscopy, allied with innovative diagnostics, can improve diagnostic yield to reduce time to treatment." 4. While Crospon had losses close to $15.35 mil- lion in 2016, the device maker was growing with estimated revenues close to 8 percent in 2016. Analysts expected the company's revenues to hit 30 percent in 2017, FORA reports. Crospon, a privately held company, didn't publish sales figures prior to the acquisition. n Physician Fee Schedule Slashes GI Anesthesia Reimbursement — 5 Insights By Eric Oliver A nesthesia Business Consultants' President and CEO Tony Mira penned a blog post on the 2018 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and its effects on reimbursement for gastroen- terology anesthesia procedures. Here's what you should know: 1. The 2018 fee schedule reduces the base unit value for screen- ing colonoscopy from 5 to 3, which is a 28 percent reimbursement reduction, based on an average 7.2 units billed. The base unit value for lower GI procedures will drop from 5 to 4. 2. CMS also replaced CPT codes 00740 (for upper GI procedures) and 00810 (for lower GI procedures) with five new codes that distin- guish between different types of procedures. 3. The base unit value for endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatog- raphy increased from 5 units to 6 units. This is the only such increase. 4. Mr. Mira estimates the changes "are likely to have a significant impact on revenue for many practices," as payers often fall in line with CMS. 5. Endoscopy cases can represent as much as 30 percent of an anesthesia group's total revenue. Mr. Mira wrote that ABC encourages anesthesia groups to de- termine the impact the changes will have to ensure endoscopic settings are managed efficiently. He said, "The change in reimburse- ment does not reflect the clinical benefits of having an anesthesi- ologist involved in the procedure or your ability to manage your endoscopic settings more efficiently." n