2014

Home ▶ Washington Letter ▶ 2014 ▶ ATS Participates in RUC Surveys on Bronchoscopy codes and Breathing Test Codes
ATS Participates in RUC Surveys on Bronchoscopy codes and Breathing Test Codes

October 2014

The ATS will be participating with other specialty societies in two separate surveys that are of interest to ATS members;

  • Bronchoscopy Services and Bronchoscopy with Biopsy Guidance Sampling Survey
  • Breathing Tests and Evaluation Survey

These surveys will help the American Medical Association's RVS Update Committee (RUC) evaluate both families of codes and will help determine a recommended relative value unit (RVU) to CMS that will affect your future Medicare Reimbursement.

Emails will be sent to randomly selected ATS members who are physicians and who treat patients in the United States. Surveys will ask members to provide information about the time, intensity and medical decision making required in providing the surveyed physician service. The breathing test survey will take approximately 15-30 minutes to complete. The bronchoscopy survey will take 45-50 minutes complete due to the large family of codes being surveyed. For those unfamiliar with the AMA RUC survey process, the ATS has created a short (14 minute) webinar that explains the process in detail.

ATS members who receive emails about the survey are strongly encouraged to participate. Participation in the survey will provide valuable data for the AMA RUC evaluation process.

If you have questions or need additional information about ATS's participation in the AMA RUC survey process, please contact Gary Ewart, Director, ATS Government Relations (gewart@thoracic.org).

Last Reviewed: October 2017