If you want to get a feel for how some doctors feel about healthcare reform, you should read Friday’s Wall Street Journal. An editorial written by Dr. Hal Scherz, a pediatric urological surgeon at Georgia Urology and Children's Healthcare in Atlanta, criticizes the American Medical Association (AMA) for essentially being another special interest group beholden to Congress and the White House. The doctor writes:
It is essential to understand the primary reason the AMA stands alongside President Obama on healthcare reform. The organization wants to protect a monopoly that the federal government has created for it—a medical coding system administered by the AMA that every healthcare professional and hospital must use if they wish to get paid for the services they provide. This monopoly generates income of $70 million to $100 million annually for the AMA.
The AMA made a decision along with Big Pharma and the insurance industry to help shape healthcare reform rather than oppose government reform. In the case of Big Pharma and the insurance industry, the individual companies that make up the respective industries supported that decision. In the AMA’s decision, their members were much more split over the course of action.
In the last month I have talked with many physician friends about their view of reform. One should remember that the AMA represents a small fraction of doctors nationwide, and most of my friends are not members of the AMA. However, their views are interesting.
Like the general public, they have differing opinions. Many primary care physicians are cautiously supportive, as they deal more directly with the uninsured. Most of the specialists are nervous, as they fear losing independent judgment in how to care for their patients.
I suspect beneath these attitudes is an economic issue. Primary care physicians hope for much needed improvement in their incomes. Specialists realize that not only will their autonomy be challenged, but they will have incomes drop and taxes soar.
The question will be, if the AMA no longer represents the divergent interests of doctors, who will become the champion of providers? Is there someone with a clear vision of patients’ needs and an understanding of the self-interests of doctors and hospitals? Maybe there is a new role for organizations such as the Premier healthcare alliance, a performance improvement alliance of 2,300 U.S. hospitals. It seems new leadership and a new direction may in fact be a good thing.
Ed Howe blogs regularly at Action for Better Healthcare.