Physician payment cuts may hit Medicare patient care
Declining Medicare physician reimbursement may cause nearly 40 percent of medical group practices to limit the number of Medicare patients they see, according to a survey released last month by the Medical Group Management Association. The survey included some 1,600 members, representing 34,000 practicing physicians. Some 19 percent said they’d be forced to stop accepting new Medicare patients if a proposed 5.1 percent cut in physician reimbursement takes effect January 1.
Report seeks adoption of personalized health
Personalized health will improve patient care and lead to sustainable cost savings for all stakeholders in the healthcare and life science industries, according to Alan Louie, research director for Framingham, Mass.-based IDC’s Health Industry Insights. In a report published by Health Industry Insights, Louie noted that, “To maximize patient outcomes through cost-effective practices, the industry needs to embrace this major shift toward knowledge-based personalized health solutions.” The report said drivers favoring personalized health include the growing wealth of biological data and increased electronic access to information.
Consultant predicts gains for healthcare plans
Forrester Research Inc. projects that consumer-directed health plans will reach 22 million members by 2008. That’s a huge increase from data from the beginning of 2006, which set consumer participation at less than 5 million. The rapid rise of consumer-directed healthcare will have profound implications for providers, who will need to take a fresh look at IT providers who can help them provide services such as automated payments and online account management.
Medicare notes progress in cutting improper payments
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has cut the percentage of improper payments almost in half over the past three years. The agency reported this month that it cut the rate of improper payments to 4.4 percent of all payments this year, from an estimated 10 percent in 2004. The agency had been given a target of 4.7 percent. The amount improperly paid fell to $10.8 billion from $21.7 billion in 2004. Improper payment rates for medically unnecessary services and for claims with insufficient documentation declined.