Itamura K, et al. - In this investigation, researchers sought to characterize national- and state-level diagnostic flexible laryngoscopy (DFL) and videolaryngostroboscopy (VLS) utilization and payment trends from 2000 to 2016 in the Medicare population. Investigators discovered that DFL and VLS utilization respectively increased by 30% and 380% with a 2% reduction and 300% increase in payments and 25% and 17% reduction in reimbursement rate. Data reported that utilization rates varied 11-fold for DFL and 279-fold for VLS between the highest and lowest utilizing states. In the Medicare population from 2000 to 2016, the DFL utilization rates remained stable vs VLS. In the same time period, there was a decrease in both DFL and VLS payments per procedure as well as weak correlations between reimbursement and utilization. Practice patterns and reimbursement across the United States differed geographically, although at the state level, VLS showed considerably greater variability than DFL.