Rheumatologists React to Looming Medicare Payment Reductions

“If these cuts happen, the biggest impact will be to Medicare patients, who may not have access to quality medicine. Some physicians are not going to see Medicare patients, or they will stop seeing new Medicare patients. Other doctors, who may be thinking of retirement, will go ahead and retire. There is a shortage of doctors already, the population is increasing, baby boomers are hitting the Medicare age, and senior citizens are living longer. This is a challenging scenario. If cuts continue, there will be reduced access to patients and decreased quality of care for patients.”

Taraneh Mehrani, MD, Premier
Medical Group of Mississippi, Pearl, Mississippi

“MedPAC’s proposal to cut specialists 6% each year for three years cumulatively directly impacts access of our aging population to specialized care, in which early detection of rheumatic diseases and treatment is paramount to prevent morbidity, chronic disability, and pain. I’ve noticed only a year into practice here in Mississippi that, due to uncertainty about the SGR, our patients with arthritis and autoimmune conditions are feeling the squeeze as more and more rheumatologists decide to stop seeing new Medicare patients, in a state that is already underserved.

“It is unfortunate that even with the many advances in research with therapies that can manage such chronic conditions, rheumatologists will have to reconsider the viability of providing specialized care, especially if they are close to retirement age. As a newly practicing rheumatologist, I would like to see this field grow rather than see more doors closed.”

Gary Bryant, MD, University of Minnesota,
Minneapolis, Minnesota

“Access to care for both Medicare and other patients is endangered due to the lack of a permanent solution to stabilize reimbursement. A 29.5% automatic cut in reimbursement on January 1, 2012 based on SGR will wreak havoc on practices and access to care for seniors. ACR and ARHP advocates have been both communicating with their Congressional members as well as personally coming to Washington, D.C. two or more times yearly for several years to ask for both a reprieve from repeated upcoming reimbursement cuts based on the flawed SGR formula, as well as a permanent fix to replace SGR with a sustainable and predictable reimbursement formula going forward.

“The flawed SGR formula has led to the inability of physician practices to plan for the future based on a stable reimbursement environment. The MedPAC’s recommendations to Congress regarding specialist reimbursement cuts of 6% per year for three years and then flat reimbursement for an additional seven years is not a viable option as a replacement for the flawed SGR formula. It also threatens access to care for rheumatic disease patients. Providers will not be able to see new and existing Medicare patients, and if rates are adopted by third-party payers, the cuts will impact all patients needing our care.”