Five vascular and interventional medical societies issued a joint statement challenging a federal watchdog report that flagged $105 million in potentially unnecessary peripheral artery disease procedures billed to Medicare.
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, the Association of Black Cardiologists, the Society of Interventional Radiology, the Society for Vascular Surgery and the Outpatient Endovascular and Interventional Society released the statement in response to findings from the HHS Office of Inspector General. The OIG report examined Medicare Part B payments for peripheral vascular procedures — including angioplasty, stenting and atherectomy — performed in office-based laboratories and found that $105 million in payments may reflect medically unnecessary care, with 26 physicians accounting for 61% of the concerning payments.
The five groups said they share the OIG’s commitment to appropriate Medicare resource use and to ensuring PAD patients receive care that is both medically necessary and consistent with established clinical evidence, but argued that several aspects of the report’s methodology and clinical framing warrant careful consideration. The societies also noted that certain practices the federal government flagged as concerning are in fact recommended by leading medical society guidelines, and added that they “do not defend billing practices that are inconsistent with guideline-concordant, medically necessary care.”
The OIG identified 139 vascular surgeons, cardiologists, interventional cardiologists and interventional radiologists whose billing patterns drew scrutiny, though the agency stopped short of alleging fraud and indicated it would examine each case more closely going forward.
The statement signals a broader collision between federal program integrity efforts and clinical specialty societies over the appropriate use of interventional procedures in outpatient settings — a dispute with direct implications for office-based laboratory operators and hospital outpatient departments competing for PAD volume.
At the Becker's 23rd Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + The Future of Spine Conference, taking place June 11-13 in Chicago, spine surgeons, orthopedic leaders and ASC executives will come together to explore minimally invasive techniques, ASC growth strategies and innovations shaping the future of outpatient spine care. Apply for complimentary registration now.
