Patients' choices may narrow as insurers adjust standards for doctors, hospitals

chicago Tribune ^ | Sept. 4, 2010 | Bruce Japsen

[SmartInsight]

Quality measurements raise concerns about conflict between best care, cost controls

The new federal health care law is bringing additional demands by insurance companies that doctors and hospitals be held to higher quality standards.

While insurance companies say quality is what gets the name of a doctor or hospital on its preferred choices list, cost is also a major factor. A doctor who manages his patient's medical care better and keeps costs low, for example, would be more apt to make the list.

The American Medical Association is worried doctors could be penalized if they tend to provide services for populations that need more medical care, such as elderly consumers who are more apt to suffer from chronic conditions. That could skew the rating for a medical provider because those repeat visits may make it appear the doctor isn't doing an adequate job when the reality is the patient has a chronic condition that requires more care.

[SmartInsight]

Doctor's WILL HAVE to refuse to treatment to the elderly and patients with chronic diseases, or to provide inadequate care, to stay in business.

This IS Obama DEATHCARE, not healthcare.

[SmartInsight]

The more people find out about it, the less they like it and I bet most people don’t even fully realize how bad it really is.

New Poll Shows Support Slipping Again For Healthcare Reform Law

http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/news-analysis/new-poll-shows-support-slipping-again-for-healthcare-reform-law.html

“The Kaiser Family Foundation’s newest tracking poll found 43 percent of Americans viewed the law favorably, compared with 50 percent in July, while 45 percent held unfavorable views of the law. “

Vote in November, as if your life depended on it, because it DOES.

[Mjaye]

I recently had pain in the area of a joint that had been replaced, and saw the family Dr. first for an x-ray prior to going back to the specialist. Meantime, I got a call from the PPO insurer I have, saying “we want to help you with your recent problem”. I told them I had already made an appt. with the orthopedist, so thanks but no thanks. I never did find out what they were going to do to “help” me. I’ve never had calls like that in the past right after seeing a Dr.

[Beowulf9]

“The American Medical Association is worried doctors could be penalized if they tend to provide services for populations that need more medical care...”

but they never seem to recognize that population is in fact the illegal aliens.

[television is just wrong]

if we did not have to care so much for mexico’s poor, we actually might have the ability to take care of our own.

[Red Dog #1]

Obamacare, a paving stone in the Road to Serfdom.

[freeangel]

“The American Medical Association is worried doctors could be penalized if they tend to provide services for populations that need more medical care, such as elderly consumers who are more apt to suffer from chronic conditions.”

The AMA got into bed with obamanation and endorsed his hellish scam. They didn’t give a crap about patients then. Now they are afraid that the least qualified among it’s members won’t be able to make a living because they won’t meet obama’s standards. Tough toenails.

[Eye of Unk]

Join forces and be part of having Obama removed from office and having everything he initiated declared null and void.

[GailA]

Let me get this straight. We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it but exempts themselves from it, to be signed by a president who smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke;

What the hell could possibly go wrong?

I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap.
Bob Hope

[GailA]

Our internist only sees Medicare patients 1 day a week now, come Jan 1, it will be ZERO Medicare patients. And we are in that group. It will leave us scrambling to find a new internist, IF we can. We’ve seen old people in our church having problems finding qualified primary care doctors in the past couple of years, more so since 0’nazicare passed.

[therut]

Oh please get off the drugs. There is no doubt taking care of the most sick patients cost more money. I live in a rural area and have a very high percentage of elderly patients and Medicaid patients. Both these groups use more medical services. I have 60% of these patients. Will I look as “good” as a physician who limits or does not see these patients. I had never thought I would see physicians in a rural town of 3000 stop taking these patients. But they are. For two reasons the above and very poor reimbursement. Let me give you an example. I have Medicare patients who wants or needs a scooter or wheelchair. The government requires to patient to see me face to face and requires alot of paper work to be filled out and certain words used. They pay me 8.00 for that visit. Now I get to take home 2.40 and pay taxes on that. I refuse to do these exams.

[freeangel]

I work with a ton of docs in the Atlanta area and many of those refused to have anything to do with the AMA precisely BECAUSE of the stand the AMA took with obama and his “health care plan”. Many of those are also starting to refuse to see medicare/medicaid patients. What I expect is that if that situation is not reversed in the near future, is that keeping your license will depend upon you being forced to accept the public option /medicare/medicaid patients. This socialist poser hasn’t any limits on what he expects from his serfs.

[therut]

I am NOT a member of the AMA. And yes the idea of forcing physicians to accept patients is just right around the corner or off the cliff.

[freeangel]

May God protect you.