Neurologists in Boston and nationwide are objecting to a plan that would pay them less for certain diagnostic tests, a change meant to cut Medicare costs and direct more money to primary care physicians whose pay is widely seen as inadequate even before they take on more work under the national health care overhaul.
The neurologists are asking federal regulators to reconsider the plan and argue that the cuts, made under a provision of the Affordable Care Act, could undermine patient care and limit access to neurology services.
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Not a Neurologist, but increasing PCP incomes will result in hiring more Nurse Practitioners (to further increase revenues) to see you as PCP "supervises" them rather than hands on with you, while "hands on" Board Certified Neurologists take a hit. The Neurologists will walk over to no insurance medicine to maintain incomes, or lose motivation and go on salary at a hospital factory. Concierge medicine will thrive for those who can afford it, Medicare and Medicaid recipients will get an inferiorly trained product especially after 2019 in Masachusetts when the Feds pull out, leaving the state's taxpayers to fund The Connector. Obamacare will not be able to provide the manpower for its plan, even excluding the medical defectors, quality will suffer as "extenders" multiply. Anticipating increased volume and decreased revenues with Obamacare, Provider enrollment in Medicare and Medicaid nationwide has already begun to erode. Stay tuned!
All this disaster will befall me because I'll only have to pay for the light, heat, receptionist, copy machine, etc (and the waste that my doctor complains about)only once instead of multiple times for tghe same procedure?
Right! I actually read this after I posted my reply to bamboobob's post, above. You are on target. I'm advising both of my kids to stay away from medicine unless they truly think they want do it for the betterment of people which is fine if that's what they want to do. If they think they are going to become MD's to make great incomes over the next 30-40 years...... Dad's advice would be to stand down and go into something else. Sad since I'm sure that I'm far from alone in doling out that advice to a couple of smart, capable kids.
This group holds the general public in fear over health issues. They need to change or suspend their Lic. to practice. They are no better than insurance companies. How many are millionaires. They are not Doctors they are terrorist... It is time to end this. National Health Care for all. End Insurance Conpanies envolvement and get these types out of the business...
That may be a bit extreme but I get your point. Canada was once reviled for its model but there's no doubt there is some merit to certain aspects of it. However, given that some of the best imaging equipment is postioned on the US/CAN border for "cash" clients, that tells me that the CAN wait times & level personal care are still as unacceptable now as they were 20 years ago.
Fr. Russ you are an idiot, and from the tone of your remarks, a vengeful one at that. Millionaires and terrorists go hand in hand, I see. From whence do you think the FUNDING for "National" HC comes?? From those that you would wreak vengence on; and be careful, your turn to join that reviled group is coming. Just look at your tax bill over the next few years...
Fear not, Elizabeth Warren is almost on the job and she'll fix everything. Be patient, she's almost there.
Granny Lizzy will only fix something her bosses at the heights of the Demomob order her to take on an issue. She is nothing more than a party hack, and a not totally honest one at that, and her arrogance and lack of openness with the public will bring plenty of woe to the Taxashoosetts suckers tho elected her to increase her Harvard Law pension with a hefty U.S. Senate salary. By the way, haven't seen the Glob publish an accounting of Lizzy's plans for employement - whether she will take a paid leave from Harvard teaching/research, retire from Harvard Law, double up her Harvard and federal government associations, of what. Now Lizzy certainly won't want anybody to know her personal stuff, like she didn't want her Harvard Law records made public, or details about her law practice while at Harvard. Let's see if she opens up to the voters that actually think she will "help" the Middle Class, a gang to which she definitely does NOT belong.
Why oh why do the voters who cast their votes based on realistic thought have to suffer the consequences brought on by those who vote based on the alphabet, gender-based selection, vengeance on the "rich", or similar non-starters ?
This is so overdue. Every honest neurologist knows this has been an overpayment for a generation. Hey, radiologists!! Your next.
You are mostly right on. The amounts paid for some testing is way too high while some tests aren't even covered. There is so much time spent trying to manipuate the system to get tests/procedures paid for or to avoid doing them that those two facets alone are full time postions for back room office staff (yes, I know first hand). It's wrong and in my opinion..... Change needs to start with Tort Reform. The liability premiums are pushing good doctors away from specialties. Insurance has MD's in a corner on both premiums and payments. Start with insurance issues and then proceedure payment rate adjustments will be more tolerable. Once that happens then premiums for the insured will drop as well. It's an expensive game of Jenga!
Unfortunately, don't hold your breath. With many, many, of our lawmakers being lawyers, how can we reasonably expect meaningful tort reform?
The system is in dire need of Primary Care Physicians who do most of the work and get none of the recognition. More money sent their way should help prevent the need for more expensive procedures later.
Charges for each nerve tested, so parallel charges for multiple greetings of a patient? How ludicrous could that get to be? Like the multiple dollars charged by hospitals for a single aspirin. No wonder medial costs keep skyrocketing...
You ain't seen nothing yet...................
Bingo. This is nothing compared to what the landscape will look like 2 years from now. My own PCP of 25+ years dumped the standard practice model went to a "concierge" model to partiall offset/avoid this looming issue.
SHORT term pain?? We ain't seen nothin' yet.