Application of the Resource-Based Relative Value Scale System to Pediatrics

In today's rapidly changing health care environment, it is crucial to understand the genesis and principles behind the Medicare Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS) physician fee schedule. Many third-party payers, including state Medicaid programs, BlueCross BlueShield, and managed care organizations, use variations of the Medicare RBRVS to determine physician reimbursement and capitation rates. Because the RBRVS fee schedule was created originally for Medicare only, pediatric-specific Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes and pediatric practice expense calculations were not included. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports the use of CPT codes and the RBRVS physician fee schedule and continues to work to rectify certain inequities of the RBRVS system as they pertain to pediatrics.