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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: JAMA. 2010 Feb 24;303(8):747–753. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.168

Figure 3. Inflation-Adjusted Physician Fees Between 1989 and 2006.

Figure 3

Fee index is a weighted average of Medicare and private-sector fees compiled from several sources. Medicare fees are based on Medicare trustees’ reports. Private-sector fees are derived from combining the Medicare fees and independent estimates of the ratio of private fees to Medicare fees published by MedPAC for 1999–2006, by Direct Research LLC from 1989–1996, and interpolated for 1997–1998, when that ratio was not available. The proportion of physician services that Medicare comprises comes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers was used to convert nominal to real. Medicaid or other services outside of Medicare or private are excluded.