Objective There is a paucity of data regarding financial trends for procedural reimbursements in otolaryngology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate monetary trends in Medicare reimbursement rates for the 20 most commonly billed otolaryngology procedures from 2000 to 2019. Study Design Analysis of physician reimbursement. Methods The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery database was queried to determine the 20 most performed otolaryngology procedures. Next, the Physician Fee Schedule Look‐Up Tool from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was utilized to assess each of the top 20 most utilized Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes in otolaryngology, and reimbursement data was extracted. All monetary data was adjusted for inflation to 2019 U.S. dollars using changes to consumer price index. Average annual and total percentage change in reimbursement were calculated based on adjusted values for all included procedures. Results After adjusting for inflation, the average reimbursement for the total 20 procedures decreased by 37.63% from 2000 to 2019. The greatest single mean decrease was seen in CPT code 61782 for stereotaxis procedures on the skull, meninges, and brain (−59.96%), whereas the smallest mean decrease was in CPT code 30520 for septoplasty (−1.50%). From 2000 to 2019, the adjusted reimbursement rate for the combined procedures decreased by an average of 2.33% each year. Conclusion Medicare reimbursement for included procedures has decreased from 2000 to 2019. Increased awareness and consideration of these trends will be important for policy makers, hospitals, and surgeons in order to assure continued access to meaningful otolaryngology care in the United States. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 131:496–501, 2021

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Aim: This study examined the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on survival in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients, and the impact of SCC on glycemic control. Materials & methods: Patients with newly diagnosed SCC with and without DM were matched 1:1 (2007–2017). Overall survival and recurrence-free survival were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and glucose level during the year following cancer diagnosis were compared using mixed models. Results: HbA1c decreased over time in DM patients (p = 0.04). The 5-year overall survival was 61% in DM patients, compared with 78% in patients without DM (p = 0.004). Conclusion: The presence of co-existing DM adversely impacted survival in patients with SCC. SCC did not affect glycemic control.

Background/aimsTo determine population-based incidence of intraocular tumours in Olmsted County, Minnesota.MethodsRecord review of the Rochester Epidemiology Project medical record linkage system from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2015 for patient demographics, tumour type by clinical diagnosis and presence or absence of confirmation by histopathology. The incidence rate of any intraocular tumour and of each tumour type was calculated per million person-years. Poisson regression analysis was used to analyse changes in incidence over time.ResultsThere were 948 patients diagnosed with intraocular tumours resulting in an age-adjusted and sex-adjusted incidence rate of 727.5 per million (95% CI: 680.8 to 774.2, p<0.05). Most tumours were benign (953, 98%). Of the benign lesions, melanocytic lesions were the majority (942, 97%), with adjusted incidence rates of 646.9 (95% CI: 602.8 to 691.1) for choroidal nevus and 55.8 (95% CI: 43.2 to 64.8) for iris nevus. Malignant lesions were rare (16, 2%) with 13 cases of choroidal melanoma and 1 case each of iris melanoma, retinal leukaemic infiltration and metastasis. The adjusted incidence rate for choroidal melanoma was 7.1 (95% CI: 2.5 to 11.8).ConclusionIn a population-based setting, most intraocular tumours are benign and melanocytic. Although malignant lesions are less common, it is important to remain vigilant with appropriate monitoring given the potential for vision loss and life-threatening malignancy.