Taking the malpractice fight to the waiting room

New York physicians are encouraging patients to support malpractice reform:

“We’re not trying to scare anyone,” Conway said in a conference call with the Freeman and other society representatives. “We have a moral obligation to inform our patients the system is under stress. High malpractice premiums are already creating access problems for patients. It is driving some doctors out of business. It may create very deep and wide issues in the near future.”

Comments

Anonymous
“We know you’re in significant pain and could use attention right away, but do you mind if we share some political info with you so our insurers can make more money that they’ll hopefully pass down to us at some point in the future?
Oh yeah, and also you’re life will be worth less, but hey, did you hear about how we might make more money?”
Good marketing strategy!
Anonymous
It will sound self-serving to some patients but it is information patients need to have. That is, if they want to feel doctors will be available when needed. I don’t think anyone is concerned about a possible lawyer shortage.
Anonymous
Why fight your own battles when you have a captive audience (with its share of idolators) to fight it for you?
Anonymous
Seriously, isn’t Medicaid/Medicare reform a much bigger and more important issue than “the malpractice fight”? It affects your income potential probably even more than malpractice, and concerns a far broader scope of the patient population. Why do you focus all of your attention and energy on malpractice?
DBR
“Why do you focus all of your attention and energy on malpractice?”
Why would you make the assumption that physicians and their advocates are focusing “all” their energy on malpractice?
The AMA and other physician groups have been lobbying Congress for YEARS to fix the flawed formula that mandates annual payment reductions and have managed to hold it off SO far, through annual lobbying efforts by millions of physicians and patients. The AMA’s most recent “grassroots” advocacy conference focused almost exclusively on Medicare/Medicaid reforms.
Just because the articles which generate the most comments from both sides of the professional aisle are those about medical liability doesn’t mean that doctors aren’t paying attention to OTHER issues which affect the practice of medicine….
And if you don’t think it’s possible for a doctor to pay attention to more than one thing at a time, maybe you should see members of some other profession when you get sick….I venture to say that doctors may be among the best multi-taskers in the world….
DBR
From AMA E-news:
AMA testimony: Fix underlying problems with Medicare payment system
Congress should enact legislation to override the planned 10 percent cut in 2008 Medicare physician payments and replace the flawed physician payment formula with one that reflects the reality of practice cost increases, said AMA Board Chair Cecil B. Wilson, MD, in testimony March 1 to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.
He pointed out that Congress’ own advisory committee on Medicare, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), has repeatedly advised Congress to take such action because it will help physicians keep their practice doors open to Medicare patients and make investments in health information technology and new medical equipment that assist with quality improvements.
“Since 2002, the AMA has worked with Congress to achieve 11th-hour interventions to ward off steep payment cuts and preserve seniors’ access to care,” said Dr. Wilson. “MedPAC has once again laid out a compelling case for repealing Medicare’s flawed physician payment update formula, and we call on Congress to enact legislation this year to set this process in motion.”
In addition to reiterating the case for repeal, MedPAC, at Congress’ request, also reviewed other alternatives. The AMA does not support MedPAC’s second alternative, which would expand the Medicare spending limit currently applied only to physicians to hospitals and other Medicare providers.
“No amount of tinkering can fix what is broken beyond repair,” said Dr. Wilson. “Instead of expanding a defective system to other providers, Congress should ensure that physicians are reimbursed like every other provider, based on practice costs.”
Anonymous
And yet on what issue do doctors organize marches on the state capitols? Hand our literature to their patients? Write opeds about how their insurer is going under? Make up claims about disappearing doctors because of malpractice premiums (never mind that malpractice premiums make up less than 5% of the avg. physicians overhead and cuts in Medicaid have a far larger and more direct impact on their income)?
Why, it’s the malpractice issue. Donna, even your own site is dedicated over 10 to 1 towards malpractice over all other issues. And you claim you’re not an insurance industry lobbyist!
Oh yeah, malpractice.
Anonymous
” That is, if they want to feel doctors will be available when needed. “
Doctors aren’t going anywhere.
“but it is information patients need to have.”
Why? Do you need to know how much your patients pay in car insurance? Do you also tell them what you pay in rent? What your office supplies cost?

Taking the malpractice fight to the waiting room

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