I am baffled at the outrage the physician community is displaying. The number one complaint: The government in the exam room. What happened to the doctor / patient relationship? How can doctors provide effective treatment with limits? My question: Why are you concerned now?
You already have insurance companies, pharmacies, TPA’s, etc in the exam room with you. Why the sudden concern? Don’t misunderstand me, I think the concern is warranted. Is there just not enough real estate in your exam room to fit another person, is the threat of the government a bigger concern than all these other entities or did you just finally realize that they have been there all along?
Share
#1 by Linda Seim, DC on January 20th, 2010
Quote
Doctors didn’t just get mad, just madder. Now in addition to satisfying “insurance companies, pharmacies, TPA’s” our fees are being cut more each year so now we are doing twice the paperwork for half the reimbursement (or less than half). I have no idea of what the healthcare “reform” bills will do to my reimbursement but if it follows the Medicare model I won’t be able to afford to stay in business. Right now for a chiropractor Medicare doesn’t pay for exams, x-rays, or therapy only manipulations. I get paid $18.90-26.35 for a manipulation depending on how complicated the case and how many areas are treated. This is about 40% less than I got paid from Medicare 30 years ago! Tell me what expense that I have that has decreased 30% in the last 30 years–not my rent, not my staffing cost, not my insurance, not my electricity. Mark my words, you will see more doctors leaving medicine and chiropractic because they can’t make a living if this trend continues. We already have a difficult time finding any doctors who will accept Medicare patients because of the poor reimbursement.
#2 by mike on January 20th, 2010
Quote
With all of those other entities we have the choice to remove them if we so wish not true with the govt. Besides can you tell me of any government program that runs better than the privates sector comparison?
#3 by Marion D. Thorpe, Jr. MD MPH on February 9th, 2010
Quote
We need accessible, affordable, quality American health care where patients and their doctors make decisions, insurance companies pay the bills and everyone takes personal responsibility for what they can control about their own health.