Comments on: AMA: Permanent repeal of the Medicare physician payment formula must be part of health reform http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/10/ama-permanent-repeal-medicare-physician-payment-formula-part-health-reform.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:57:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: North Carolina Medical Society - Doctor to Doctor » Blog Archive » AMA President Uses Blog to Call for Repeal of SGRhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/10/ama-permanent-repeal-medicare-physician-payment-formula-part-health-reform.html#comment-113598 North Carolina Medical Society - Doctor to Doctor » Blog Archive » AMA President Uses Blog to Call for Repeal of SGR Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:23:03 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=40661#comment-113598 [...] To view Dr. Rohack’s column, please visit KevinMD.com at:  http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/10/ama-permanent-repeal-medicare-physician-payment-formula-part-hea... [...] [...] To view Dr. Rohack’s column, please visit KevinMD.com at:  http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/10/ama-permanent-repeal-medicare-physician-payment-formula-part-hea... [...]

]]> By: Evinxhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/10/ama-permanent-repeal-medicare-physician-payment-formula-part-health-reform.html#comment-113597 Evinx Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:53:54 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=40661#comment-113597 The 21% cut is necessary so that the CBO score of the bill will be deficit neutral. This gives cover to the the senators to vote for the bill. After passed and enacted, they will subsequently vote to rescind the 21% cut. This is the current state of goverenance in America. It is all about crafting legislation to accomodate and get support from sufficient special interest groups so that journalists can write about how much the pols are doing for the people which in turn helps them garner votes to stay in power.This is the reality. The 21% cut is necessary so that the CBO score of the bill will be deficit neutral. This gives cover to the the senators to vote for the bill. After passed and enacted, they will subsequently vote to rescind the 21% cut. This is the current state of goverenance in America. It is all about crafting legislation to accomodate and get support from sufficient special interest groups so that journalists can write about how much the pols are doing for the people which in turn helps them garner votes to stay in power.

This is the reality.

]]> By: AnonMDhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/10/ama-permanent-repeal-medicare-physician-payment-formula-part-health-reform.html#comment-113585 AnonMD Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:56:52 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=40661#comment-113585 The 21% cut needs to proceed as scheduled. At that point, enough physicians will quit taking care of Medicare patients, so politicians and the public will start paying attention. The 21% cut needs to proceed as scheduled. At that point, enough physicians will quit taking care of Medicare patients, so politicians and the public will start paying attention.

]]> By: Doc99http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/10/ama-permanent-repeal-medicare-physician-payment-formula-part-health-reform.html#comment-113582 Doc99 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:36:41 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=40661#comment-113582 Just so we all can be clear, what is the AMA's fallback position should the final bill signed into law fall far short of your stated goals? I see, for example, that the Senate Finance Committee puts forth a proposal whose Healthcare provisions don't commence until 2013 yet the Tax provisions begin in 2010. And Baucus' tax on medical devices include some curious items such as:* Dentures, both partial and full (Class VI) * Fetal cell-screening kit (Class IV) * Female condoms, single use (Class III) * Treponemal syphilis test (Class IV) * HIV saliva test kit (Class IV) * Patient data storage and transmission software (Class VI) * Stair-climbing wheelchair (Class III) * Inflatable penis prosthetic (Class III) * Hip, knee, ankle, breast prosthetics (Class III) * Soft contact lenses, extended wear (Class III) * IUDs (Class III) * Dialysis catheters (Class III) * Dental X-rays (Class II) * Sickle-cell anemia tests (Class II) * Mammograms (Class II)I could go on but I welcome your comments. Just so we all can be clear, what is the AMA’s fallback position should the final bill signed into law fall far short of your stated goals? I see, for example, that the Senate Finance Committee puts forth a proposal whose Healthcare provisions don’t commence until 2013 yet the Tax provisions begin in 2010. And Baucus’ tax on medical devices include some curious items such as:

* Dentures, both partial and full (Class VI)
* Fetal cell-screening kit (Class IV)
* Female condoms, single use (Class III)
* Treponemal syphilis test (Class IV)
* HIV saliva test kit (Class IV)
* Patient data storage and transmission software (Class VI)
* Stair-climbing wheelchair (Class III)
* Inflatable penis prosthetic (Class III)
* Hip, knee, ankle, breast prosthetics (Class III)
* Soft contact lenses, extended wear (Class III)
* IUDs (Class III)
* Dialysis catheters (Class III)
* Dental X-rays (Class II)
* Sickle-cell anemia tests (Class II)
* Mammograms (Class II)

I could go on but I welcome your comments.

]]> By: Tom Necelahttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/10/ama-permanent-repeal-medicare-physician-payment-formula-part-health-reform.html#comment-113578 Tom Necela Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:59:17 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=40661#comment-113578 Well stated article. Instead of penalizing physicians for utilization and creating spending caps, why doesn't Medicare look in the mirror first and slash the fat off its own spending. Medicare consistently overpays for many of its DME suppliers. It certainly has a big enough bargaining power to at least pay competitive prices, which can be profitable for all parties, instead of spending money in magnitudes that can only be rivaled by governmental agencies that are often targeted for their own lavish spending. Well stated article. Instead of penalizing physicians for utilization and creating spending caps, why doesn’t Medicare look in the mirror first and slash the fat off its own spending. Medicare consistently overpays for many of its DME suppliers. It certainly has a big enough bargaining power to at least pay competitive prices, which can be profitable for all parties, instead of spending money in magnitudes that can only be rivaled by governmental agencies that are often targeted for their own lavish spending.

]]> By: AmericanMedicalAssociationhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/10/ama-permanent-repeal-medicare-physician-payment-formula-part-health-reform.html#comment-113549 AmericanMedicalAssociation Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:19:12 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=40661#comment-113549 Agreed – comprehensive reform is key, and AMA is working to achieve seven critical elements as part of health reform: - health insurance coverage for all Americans - insurance market reforms that expand choice of affordable coverage and eliminate denials for pre-existing conditions; - assurance that medical decisions will remain in the hands of patients and physicians, not insurance companies or government officials; - investments and incentives for quality improvement, - prevention and wellness initiatives; - repeal of the broken Medicare physician payment formula that would trigger steep cuts and threatens seniors’ access to care; - implementation of medical liability reforms to reduce the cost of defensive medicine; and streamlining and standardizing of insurance claims processing requirements to eliminate unnecessary costs and administrative burdens. Agreed – comprehensive reform is key, and AMA is working to achieve seven critical elements as part of health reform:
- health insurance coverage for all Americans
- insurance market reforms that expand choice of affordable coverage and eliminate denials for pre-existing conditions;
- assurance that medical decisions will remain in the hands of patients and physicians, not insurance companies or government officials;
- investments and incentives for quality improvement,
- prevention and wellness initiatives;
- repeal of the broken Medicare physician payment formula that would trigger steep cuts and threatens seniors’ access to care;
- implementation of medical liability reforms to reduce the cost of defensive medicine; and streamlining and standardizing of insurance claims processing requirements to eliminate unnecessary costs and administrative burdens.

]]> By: BookstoreMDhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/10/ama-permanent-repeal-medicare-physician-payment-formula-part-health-reform.html#comment-113548 BookstoreMD Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:36:06 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=40661#comment-113548 Healthcare reform has to be in all dimensions for it to be successful: 1) Tort Reform 2) Insurance companies regulation and reform 3) Universal healthcare 4) Reimbursement and insurance billing reform 5) Quality initiatives 6) Streamlining all new technologies to be able to talk to each other Healthcare reform has to be in all dimensions for it to be successful:
1) Tort Reform
2) Insurance companies regulation and reform
3) Universal healthcare
4) Reimbursement and insurance billing reform
5) Quality initiatives
6) Streamlining all new technologies to be able to talk to each other

]]>