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Originally Posted by jbartle1
Bottom-line, how does this affect PATIENTS!
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We won't know until the dust finally settles. But I do have a concern for patient access
It's hard enough to attract physicians to work here. The only draw for younger physicians is the excellent Charter schools, or perhaps a parent that lives here. The rest are somewhat older doctors near the end of their career. And this whole issue looks like it is shaping up to be a war of picayune documentation criteria.
The documentation requirements are ridiculous to start with, overly complicated and somewhat vague. If CMS starts looking for crossed T's and dotted I's, it will drive the older docs into retirement---nobody wants to put up with that crap. The younger physicians might gravitate towards non-participation in the Medicare program completely, opting for concierge medicine instead. This will result in less physician services for a growing, elderly population. There are already many practices not accepting new patients and long waits to get appointments. Then, of course, it's the better physicians that fill up fast, leaving the "B" players as the only option. And btw, uninformed social media attacks just fuel the problem. Nobody shouting "fraud" or "crooks" is helping the problem. Let's see what happens tomorrow, but that probably won't be the end of this. Remember, CMS is not interested in your health---it's a bureaucracy run by bureaucrats, all with the ambition of making a name for themselves so they can become a bigger fish in the bureaucratic pond.