Do interventional radiologists pose a significant threat to the practice of vascular surgery?
PURPOSE: Vascular surgeons have become concerned recently about perceived threats to their practices posed by the growth of interventional radiology. The authors studied nationwide 1996 Medicare Part B procedure data to determine the seriousness of these threats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The national Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary Master File for 1996 was searched. Two hundred thirteen distinct Current Procedural Terminology (CPT-4) codes were identified for therapeutic surgical and percutaneous interventional procedures performed to treat noncardiac vascular diseases. For each code, determination was made of total volume, specialty of the physician providers, and Medicare Part B reimbursement dollars paid to the providers as professional fees. In view of the conflicts among various specialties over peripheral vascular interventions, the authors also determined the percentages of these procedures performed by radiologists, surgeons, cardi
