One in Five DOs Would Drop Medicare Patients if Upcoming Fee Cut Goes Into Effect

If the upcoming 21.3 percent cut in physician Medicare payments were implemented on June 1, 24 percent of osteopathic physicians said they would probably or definitely not see their current Medicare patients if they had a choice, according to a survey by the American Osteopathic Association.

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Another 42 percent said they would continue seeing their Medicare patients, while 33 percent were undecided.

In addition, 37 percent of respondents said they would not see new Medicare patients, while 30 percent said they would and 32 percent said they might.

Respondents’ three biggest concerns with the Medicare reimbursement system were:
1. Medicare payment rates do not increase at the same rate that medical costs;
2. The payment formula does not adequately cover the cost of care provided and;
3. Congress’s temporary fixes are unreliable, with potential reimbursement cuts occurring monthly at many times.

Read the AOA’s survey on the physician fee cut.

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