How much do you think that price impacts the way that CTPs (skin subs) are selected in the office setting? One reader sent me this thought – which is testable statistically (although I do not have access to the data to do it):

“Dr. Fife,

I could be wrong, but I think the apparent problem with CTP selection is mostly (though not entirely) with the system that sets prices — not how it is being billed by individual offices. 

It would be interesting to see the data, but here is what I would expect to see based on what I hear:

• The products with reported but high ASPs (Average Sales Price) are relatively popular in the office setting everywhere.
• The products with unreported ASPs are popular in the office in those MACs that set reimbursement based on WAC (Wholesale Acquisition Price), not invoice.
  • Roughly speaking I think the “WAC MACs” are Novitas, First Coast, Palmetto and WPS. 
• Unreported products are not very popular in the office in the MACs that pay only on invoice price, like Noridian.

I know the older data showed a big surge in the unreported products [products without a reported ASP] but that was before CMS started publishing so many ASPs resulting in high priced products being on the ASP list. That changed the game somewhat.”

[Name withheld]

What do you think?

–Caroline

Caroline Fife, M.D.

Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound care physician dedicated to improving patient outcomes through quality driven care. Please visit my blog at CarolineFifeMD.com and my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/carolinefifemd/videos

The opinions, comments, and content expressed or implied in my statements are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of Intellicure or any of the boards on which I serve.