Re: Don't show Medicare patients the door

[Guest guest]

,

Is your schedule full. I ask only because we have 25% medicare but represents 50% of visits. Our patients<65 are usually >45 so int the next twenty years they will all be medicare and visits should increase by 150%. Assuming none die because of great care. We take medicare because our business plan estimated $135/hour from medicare in RVUs. All our PPO's have higher $/RVU so they work as well. Most patients will be over 65 in the next 3650 days.

If your business model assumes higher reimbursement rates, when PPO change to medicarte there will be drop in $/RVU and an increase in RVUs. This means we need to become as efficient as possible at all the non-medical stuff so we can still have time and make money seeing patients.

I really believe traditional clinics are going to hit a wall within 5-10 years.

That said, if you have young health insured patients. Keep them happy.

To: Sent: Wed, April 14, 2010 8:14:54 PMSubject: Re: Doctors show Medicare patients the door

No new medicare for last 2 years unless...

Grandfather into medicare as a patient.

We see your spouse, daughter, etc and you move to town - keep it in the family.

Random hospital patient that doesn't have a doc in the valley.

But if you are a random medicare patient calling, my front desk will not accept you as a patient.

We have less than 15% Medicare n our patient panel.

I think it was maybe even less than 10% the last I checked.

Locke, MD

On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 2:36 PM, <tolpeopleaol (DOT) com> wrote:

, do you take Medicare? Are you going to stop?

Deanna

[Practiceimprovemen t1] Doctors show Medicare patients the door

Doctors show Medicare patients the door

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14877801

Beverly Brodnax just got dumped by her doctor.

The disabled woman is among the many Coloradans on Medicare who say it's becoming more difficult to find a doctor who will take their government health insurance.

------------ -------

The Brodnaxes' doctor did not return phone calls seeking comment. But the couple eventually found a Kaiser Permanente clinic accepting patients with Kaiser Medicare plans. Otherwise, they had intended to seek health care at the urgent-care clinic in the grocery store.

"You'd have to go to urgent cares or the emergency room," Brodnax said.

------------ --------

Under the previous rates, doctors were paid $95.43 by Medicare for a new-patient visit. The cuts that went into effect April 1 knocked the reimbursement down to $75.20, according to the Colorado Medical Society.

Medicare used to reimburse doctors $19.40 for electrocardiography of the heart. The current rate — unless it's halted by Congress — is $15.29.

============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =========

http://topnews. us/content/ 216681-date- postponed- medicare- pay-cut

According to the latest addition of the script, it was seen that today Senate took up a bill that would delay the effective date of a 21.2% Medicare pay cut for physicians from April 1 to May 1. Sen. Max Baucus announced an amendment that would set the new date at June 1.

It was also seen that the delay of the reduction in Medicare reimbursement was a huge part of the bill and it would expand expired unemployment compensation benefits, subsides for health insurance premiums and various tax breaks.

The modification made by Sen. Baucus, who chairs the powerful Senate Finance Committee, would give an extra month to all the bill’s provisions. It was also told by Sen. Baucus that more time was required by the Senate to extend these provisions which included a delay of the Medicare pay cut. It was also mentioned by him that this would take more than 2 weeks time.

The bill has been approved by the House and postponed the Medicare pay cut from April 1 to May 1. The House would have to take a second vote to modify its bill if the Senate bill passes and it fits in the Baucus amendment.

Congress has been asked to stop delaying the cuts and instead swap the sustainable growth rate formula with more fair formula.

Locke, MD

[Guest guest]

Still taking new patients in general - so not full, per se.But if given the option of taking a medicare patient or a private pay patient, I would prefer the private pay.None of the hooey of fee cuts -- just the hassle of private pay contracting.

Locke, MD

 

,

 

Is your schedule full.  I ask only because we have 25% medicare but represents 50% of visits.  Our patients<65 are usually >45 so int the next twenty years they will all be medicare and visits should increase by 150%.  Assuming none die because of great care.  We take medicare because our business plan estimated $135/hour from medicare in RVUs. All our PPO's have higher $/RVU so they work as well.  Most patients will be over 65 in the next 3650 days. 

 

If your business model assumes higher reimbursement rates, when PPO change to medicarte there will be drop in $/RVU and an increase in RVUs.  This means we need to become as efficient as possible at all the non-medical stuff so we can still have time and make money seeing patients.

 

I really believe traditional clinics are going to hit a wall within 5-10 years.

 

That said, if you have young health insured patients. Keep them happy.

 

To:

Sent: Wed, April 14, 2010 8:14:54 PMSubject: Re: Doctors show Medicare patients the door

 

No new medicare for last 2 years unless...

 

Grandfather into medicare as a patient.

We see your spouse, daughter, etc and you move to town - keep it in the family.

Random hospital patient that doesn't have a doc in the valley.

 

But if you are a random medicare patient calling, my front desk will not accept you as a patient.

 

We have less than 15% Medicare n our patient panel.

I think it was maybe even less than 10% the last I checked.

 

Locke, MD

On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 2:36 PM, <tolpeopleaol (DOT) com> wrote:

 

, do you take Medicare?  Are you going to stop?

 

Deanna

[Practiceimprovemen t1] Doctors show Medicare patients the door

 

Doctors show Medicare patients the door

 

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14877801

 

Beverly Brodnax just got dumped by her doctor.

The disabled woman is among the many Coloradans on Medicare who say it's becoming more difficult to find a doctor who will take their government health insurance.

------------ -------

The Brodnaxes' doctor did not return phone calls seeking comment. But the couple eventually found a Kaiser Permanente clinic accepting patients with Kaiser Medicare plans. Otherwise, they had intended to seek health care at the urgent-care clinic in the grocery store.

" You'd have to go to urgent cares or the emergency room, " Brodnax said.

------------ --------

Under the previous rates, doctors were paid $95.43 by Medicare for a new-patient visit. The cuts that went into effect April 1 knocked the reimbursement down to $75.20, according to the Colorado Medical Society.

Medicare used to reimburse doctors $19.40 for electrocardiography of the heart. The current rate — unless it's halted by Congress — is $15.29.

============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =========

http://topnews. us/content/ 216681-date- postponed- medicare- pay-cut

According to the latest addition of the script, it was seen that today Senate took up a bill that would delay the effective date of a 21.2% Medicare pay cut for physicians from April 1 to May 1. Sen. Max Baucus announced an amendment that would set the new date at June 1.

It was also seen that the delay of the reduction in Medicare reimbursement was a huge part of the bill and it would expand expired unemployment compensation benefits, subsides for health insurance premiums and various tax breaks.

The modification made by Sen. Baucus, who chairs the powerful Senate Finance Committee, would give an extra month to all the bill’s provisions. It was also told by Sen. Baucus that more time was required by the Senate to extend these provisions which included a delay of the Medicare pay cut. It was also mentioned by him that this would take more than 2 weeks time.

The bill has been approved by the House and postponed the Medicare pay cut from April 1 to May 1. The House would have to take a second vote to modify its bill if the Senate bill passes and it fits in the Baucus amendment.

Congress has been asked to stop delaying the cuts and instead swap the sustainable growth rate formula with more fair formula.

Locke, MD