I spoke to several Administrators this week and by far the biggest concern they have is reimbursement. A recent AHA report also confirmed payment shortfalls from both private payers and government relative to operating costs. Individuals are also reportedly paying more premiums than ever before, and employers are looking for ways to offset the extra inflation. My own personal insurance premiums increased 26% this year. 26%!!! That's just not right. So, I was also forced to find yet another "new" health plan. Can't wait till next year so I can do it again.
One recent reimbursement trend, pay for performance, is thought by many to be an effort to reward providers for performance. I believe we've been down this road before, but never has this issue been more serious than it is currently. At least politically anyway. While many are skeptical that it will end up overlooked, a few of my colleagues are optimistic that the current situation in Washington will push more providers and payers to come together in order to battle "big brother".
I'm just glad there are people much smarter than me trying to work all this out.
Hey doc, can you prescribe me a Prozac?
Dale Hannegan
www.radsciences.com
www.mymedport.com
1 comments:
Dale - The current economics are not stable, scalable, or sustainable in the medical practice either in institutions or private practice. Reimbusement has and will continue to erode. Compensation expectations are and will continue to build. The only way out of that scenario is enhanced productivity amongst fewer people. Innovative compensation strategies and incentives are part of the equation but not all of the equation. Professionals want autonomy of practice, mastery of skills, and purpose in their work. What is needed is reconceptualization of the challenge and the solutions. Pay-for-performance has proven challenging in healthcare on multiple levels. That said, professional autonomy demands both clinical and economic accountability. It's time that the concept of pay-for-performance be migrated to variable compensation within the framework of autonomy.
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