Maryland Governor Proposes Healthcare Zones to Eliminate Racial, Socioeconomic Disparities

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown proposed Tuesday to tackle the state's healthcare access problem by creating healthcare "zones" that would mimic economic-enterprise zones used for several decades, according to a Washington Post report.

While Maryland is high-ranked in median household income compared to other states, the state also has clusters of chronic disease, low-birth-weight babies and limited access to healthcare for underserved populations.

The idea is that local and state governments would use their taxing authority to offer incentives to physicians, physicians' assistants, nurses and other medical professionals to set up practice in underserved areas. The proposal also establishes an as-of-yet undetermined cash prize for communities or non-profits that find innovative ways to improve the health of a community.

According to the report, experts studying healthcare delivery in 2009 believed the nation could save $230 million in direct medical expenses by eliminating racial and socioeconomic disparities.

Related Articles on Coding, Billing and Collections:
4 Critical Revenue Strategies for Successful, Sustainable ASC Cash Flow
CMS Establishes New 3-Day Payment Window Modifier
HHS Targets Arizona Health Insurance Companies for "Unreasonable" Rate Increases

© Copyright ASC COMMUNICATIONS 2012. Interested in LINKING to or REPRINTING this content? View our policies by clicking here.