OPINIONMedicare cuts threaten patient care: Questions of access and technologyDoctors must join the AMA's fight to fix the program's reimbursement problem.Editorial. May 9, 2005. Sometimes one word sums everything up perfectly. "Devastating" is the word AMA President-Elect J. Edward Hill, MD, used when describing the potential effect of the Medicare physician payment cuts projected for next year through 2011. Dr. Hill offered this prognosis at a recent news conference in Washington, D.C. His choice of wording was more than backed up by the results of the new AMA Member Connect survey he presented. The poll of more than 5,000 doctors showed that the payment reductions -- estimated at 4.3% next year and 26% over the next six years -- would not only harm access to physicians for new and existing Medicare patients but also cause doctors to delay investments in their practices that would improve patient care. If a reimbursement cut in the neighborhood of 5% were to go through next year, 38% of physicians would reduce the number of new Medicare patients they accept, the survey showed. This means patients who just enrolled in Medicare and those looking for a new doctor would have a harder time finding a physician. About 18% of respondents said they would decrease the number of existing Medicare patients they serve. Many patients able to keep their doctors would find that physicians have shortened office visits and stopped providing certain services. The payment cuts' repercussions would go beyond patient access. Facing a drop in Medicare dollars while liability insurance premiums and other practice costs increased, many doctors simply wouldn't have the financial wherewithal to invest in new medical equipment or information technology to improve the care they deliver. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2005 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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