Kaiser researchers analyzed the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and found 96 percent of beneficiaries report having a usual source of care. Of those patients, 86 percent say their primary source is either a physician’s office or a physician’s clinic.
Here are five more key findings from the issue brief.
1. Medicare beneficiaries appear to usually or always be able to schedule timely appointments with physicians. Fifty-one percent report they were able to get appointments within three days. Regarding specialist appointments, 92 percent of traditional Medicare beneficiaries and 90 percent of Medicare Advantage patients say it’s “always” or “usually” easy to get an appointment.
2. The 2012 MedPAC patient survey found only 7 percent of Medicare beneficiaries reported looking for a new primary care physician.
3. The 2011 National Health Interview Survey found only 2.4 percent of Medicare seniors had trouble finding a general physician or provider that year, compared with 1.7 percent of privately insured adults aged 18 to 64.
4. According to physician survey data, 91 percent of non-pediatric physicians accept new Medicare patients, on par with the rate that accept new patients with private noncapitated insurance.
5. Less than 1 percent of physicians in clinical practice have formally opted out of Medicare. Of those who have, 42 percent are psychiatrists.
More Articles on Medicare Beneficiaries:
Hospital Advocacy Groups Vow to Lobby Against Budget Deal’s Medicare Cuts
5 Costliest Drugs for Medicare
Study: Hospital Observation Doubled Between 2001 and 2009
