“They cannot both care for their patients and comply with mandated regulations.”
Dr. Louis McIntyre
Orthopedic Surgeon
White Plains, NY
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Published: 8:13 AM 07/20/2012
By Meagan Clark
A doctor representing the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons told The Daily Caller on Thursday that “physicians have reached a tipping point” under current health care laws, as they cannot both care for their patients and comply with mandated regulations.
Dr. Louis McIntyre, from Westchester County, New York, testified with three other health care experts before part of the House Small Business Committee on Thursday to explain the increasing challenges Congress and insurance companies have put on doctors who work for small or solo practices.
Rising costs of malpractice insurance and regulatory paperwork, along with shrinking reimbursements paid to doctors on behalf of Medicare patients, have all but forced doctors to become hospital employees, McIntyre said. He believes patients will see the quality and accessibility of healthcare deteriorate as more and more doctors, struggling to eek out a profit, leave their private practices for hospitals.
“Doctors know that they cannot meet all the demands placed upon them in an environment of shrinking revenues and increasing costs, and take care of patients at the same time,” McIntyre said.
The malpractice insurance at McIntyre’s Westchester Orthopedic Associates increased from $40,000 to $110,000 per year per doctor between 1994 and 2010.
Now, McIntyre and his colleagues work for White Plains Hospital, which pays their insurance premiums. In turn, they must comply with hospital policies over their own — or their patients’ — preferences, but hospitals give doctors more financial security and free them from having to deal with troublesome regulations imposed by insurance companies and Congress.
In 1995, Westchester Orthopedic employed one person to perform administrative tasks. By the late ’90s, they employed one per doctor.
3 comments:
The change this physician is talking about was planned long ago. It was announced at a public meeting in 1969.
http://anticorruptionsociety.com/2011/09/19/fascism-in-medicine/
Excerpt:
"The solo practitioner would become a thing of the past. A few die-hards might try to hold out, but most doctors would be employed by an institution of one kind or another. Group practice would be encouraged, corporations would be encouraged, and then once the corporate image of medical care gradually became more and more acceptable, doctors would more and more become employees rather than independent contractors."
A lady from my local area just told me that some of the doctors in this county are refusing to even see patients that are 75 years old and older. I don't even know quite what to think about this,but if this is the way our country is headed, there is going to be a lot of trouble. I think the REAL Americans are pretty well content with the health system as it is now, although there could be a few improvements for special needs people who carry quite a burden. One thing I know for sure... if I went to medical school for 7 years + to become a brain surgeon, and I was made to take the same pay as someone who sets a broken bone, I would not be willing to stay. Do you want brain surgery from a guy who gets $20 per hour? A complete repeal is in order, because the only ones who will truly benefit will be the illegals, they will come just for this, along with all the other "free" benefits, free money, free food, free house + the takeover of jobs of Americans.
This is called obama care!!!! Get ready America!!! It he is re-elected this is what will happen!!! I work in the medical field and I have already witnessed this coming!! It is sad but so true!!!
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