What are work RVUs, who introduced them and why?

The Health Care Financing Administration introduced work RVUs in 1991. The units measure physician productivity based on intensity of work.

Tying physician compensation to work RVUs encourages the use of benchmarking, coding, productivity and resource utilization to other organizations. According to recent surveys, RVU-based productivity is an important component of compensation plans for more than half of all multi-specialty medical groups — and the numbers are growing. The results can affect your bottom line.