College report analyzes recent Medicare data.

The growth in Medicare payments to physicians continues to be a major concern for federal policymakers. In order to gain a better understanding of the trends in Medicare spending for surgical services, the College obtained Medicare Part B claims data for the years 1986 through 1988, which were analyzed and published in a report that was issued in December 1990. The following article describes the federal activity that prompted the College to commission this report on Medicare Part B spending trends, and presents some of the significant results of the analysis.