That’s what the ACP is proposing in a letter sent to Senator Tom Daschle, the future Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Will that be enough to stop the generalist hemorrhage? Physician Jay Larson is skeptical, saying it “sounds like a squirt gun trying to put out an inferno.” I’m dubious myself. Ask for 10 percent, you get five, which is pretty much the status quo.
I maintain that the most straightforward solution would be for Medicare to simply increase the payment for the E&M codes 99211-99215 (99201-99205 for new patients) by 20 percent.
It’s an elegant solution that will be very effective in keeping many primary care doctors in practice.
Related posts:
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- Reducing the paperwork burden on primary care
- Blame the RUC for the primary care crisis, or not
- Health care reform is "dead in the water" without primary care
- Will specialists sacrifice to pay primary care doctors? Are budget-neutral changes the only option?
- Why primary care is important
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{ 3 comments }
10%! even if they got the full 10% that’s still an insult
A more acceptable solution would be to allow phsicians to balance bill Medicare patients so that the total reimbursement would be competitive with private or cash pay patients.
The ultimate solution is for the primary care doctor to charge whatever amount he wants, and collect it. Insurers can reimburse whatever they want. A free market would settle what he’s worth.
The problem with healtcare today is that there’s too much third party interference by beaurocrats, government, and insurers.
-Steve
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