Becker's Healthcare December 26, 2025
How surgeons are paid may meaningfully influence how often patients receive low-value outpatient surgery, with fee-for-service environments linked to higher rates of potentially unnecessary procedures, according to a study published Dec. 2 in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers from Boston-based Harvard Medical School and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., analyzed TriCare claims from the U.S. Military Health System from 2016 to 2023, comparing outcomes across 304,908 outpatient elective procedures performed in the system’s salaried “direct care” facilities or in private-sector civilian settings reimbursed under fee-for-service.
1. Fee-for-service care was strongly associated with higher low-value surgery rates.
Across 304,908 outpatient procedures in the Military Health System from 2016 to 2023, low-value surgery occurred at...
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