Post by unlawflcombatnt on Aug 16, 2009 2:25:22 GMT -6
Health Care Reform--Facts & Fantasies:
"Fee for Service" Doctors Drive Higher Costs
Myth: "Fee for Service" doctors are running the cost of health care up by:
These claims are not only ludicrous, they serve as further proof that those writing health care legislation are either completely unacknowledgeable on the medical profession, or are outright liars.
With the exception of EKGs and some limited office procedures like spirometry, doctors are not "paid" anything additional for ordering more tests. Doctors are not paid for lab tests. At best they may get paid $2-5 for drawing blood for a lab test, or having one of their staff draw the blood. Doctors are paid $10 for EKGs, but even then only if there is a Medicare-allowed specific indication. EKGs are not paid for when ordered for general screening. Spirometry (an office test for lung capacity) will pay $20-$25, but only if the indication meets those specifically allowed by Medicare for spirometry. In both cases, these tests use up staff time--time which the doctor does have to pay for. Unless doctors are granted some rare exclusions, they cannot get reimbursed for any type of blood test done in their office (or sent to an outside lab.) Doctors cannot be reimbursed by Medicare for doing simple in-office urinalysises. Since the test strips for urine tests ARE expensive, doctors perform in-office urinalysis for a loss because they are a valuable diagnostic tool.
And on expensive tests, like CT scans & MRIs, the ordering physician gets paid absolutely $0.00. In fact, it is ILLEGAL for the doctor to get paid for this. Getting paid constitutes an illegal kickback which is specifically forbidden by Federal law, the penalty for which can be prison.
So rather than having doctors order (without reimbursement) tests they are trained to know are needed, this legislation endorses a fairy tale about a panel that determines the most cost-effective treatments. Apparently, as the theory goes, doctors learn nothing about this in medical school. Those espousing this cost-efficacy panel are claiming that physicians, despite their extensive training, need help from bureaucrats with no training on determining what medical treatments actually work.
I have to wonder, what do these bureaucrats think doctors learn in medical school? How to make airplanes? Build ships? Make pizzas?
In fact, that's exactly what medical training and medical school are all about--learning how to treat medical conditions and diseases in the most effective way possible. Numerous 1,000 page+ books are devoted to this very subject. So are 4 years of medical school lectures and training, as are 3 years (or more) of medical residency training. Yet according to this administration, those outside Medicine really do know more than medical professionals with 7 years or more of training on the subject. This claim defies logic. It's pure propaganda of the worst form. It's a way to invent some magical source of medical "savings" under the new health plan. In fact, I wonder if what this panel will really be determining is which treatments are least expensive for the insurance companies. (It's no accident that Senator Max Baucus is squarely behind this idea AND the insurance lobby is squarely behind his re-election financing).
And just for the record, in case people aren't aware of this, there are no $ signs in medical school textbooks (except for the hefty price tag on the cover of the book).
Doctors most certainly don't provide expensive care to make more money, nor do they order more tests to make more money. Doctors are trained to provide the best and most effective care possible, which is what patients expect and depend upon. A properly treated patient will be a healthier patient. The only ones running up the cost of health care are insurance companies, big pharma, and the politicians they own.
"Fee for Service" Doctors Drive Higher Costs
Myth: "Fee for Service" doctors are running the cost of health care up by:
These claims are not only ludicrous, they serve as further proof that those writing health care legislation are either completely unacknowledgeable on the medical profession, or are outright liars.
With the exception of EKGs and some limited office procedures like spirometry, doctors are not "paid" anything additional for ordering more tests. Doctors are not paid for lab tests. At best they may get paid $2-5 for drawing blood for a lab test, or having one of their staff draw the blood. Doctors are paid $10 for EKGs, but even then only if there is a Medicare-allowed specific indication. EKGs are not paid for when ordered for general screening. Spirometry (an office test for lung capacity) will pay $20-$25, but only if the indication meets those specifically allowed by Medicare for spirometry. In both cases, these tests use up staff time--time which the doctor does have to pay for. Unless doctors are granted some rare exclusions, they cannot get reimbursed for any type of blood test done in their office (or sent to an outside lab.) Doctors cannot be reimbursed by Medicare for doing simple in-office urinalysises. Since the test strips for urine tests ARE expensive, doctors perform in-office urinalysis for a loss because they are a valuable diagnostic tool.
And on expensive tests, like CT scans & MRIs, the ordering physician gets paid absolutely $0.00. In fact, it is ILLEGAL for the doctor to get paid for this. Getting paid constitutes an illegal kickback which is specifically forbidden by Federal law, the penalty for which can be prison.
So rather than having doctors order (without reimbursement) tests they are trained to know are needed, this legislation endorses a fairy tale about a panel that determines the most cost-effective treatments. Apparently, as the theory goes, doctors learn nothing about this in medical school. Those espousing this cost-efficacy panel are claiming that physicians, despite their extensive training, need help from bureaucrats with no training on determining what medical treatments actually work.
I have to wonder, what do these bureaucrats think doctors learn in medical school? How to make airplanes? Build ships? Make pizzas?
In fact, that's exactly what medical training and medical school are all about--learning how to treat medical conditions and diseases in the most effective way possible. Numerous 1,000 page+ books are devoted to this very subject. So are 4 years of medical school lectures and training, as are 3 years (or more) of medical residency training. Yet according to this administration, those outside Medicine really do know more than medical professionals with 7 years or more of training on the subject. This claim defies logic. It's pure propaganda of the worst form. It's a way to invent some magical source of medical "savings" under the new health plan. In fact, I wonder if what this panel will really be determining is which treatments are least expensive for the insurance companies. (It's no accident that Senator Max Baucus is squarely behind this idea AND the insurance lobby is squarely behind his re-election financing).
And just for the record, in case people aren't aware of this, there are no $ signs in medical school textbooks (except for the hefty price tag on the cover of the book).
Doctors most certainly don't provide expensive care to make more money, nor do they order more tests to make more money. Doctors are trained to provide the best and most effective care possible, which is what patients expect and depend upon. A properly treated patient will be a healthier patient. The only ones running up the cost of health care are insurance companies, big pharma, and the politicians they own.