A doctor who died 12 years ago is having an influence on healthcare debates all across the country.
Some 200 bills relating to certificate-of-need laws have been introduced in state legislatures this year. According to Kara Hinkley with the National Conference of State Legislatures, the trend is toward limiting CON by repealing pieces or including moratoriums on CON requirements.
Despite this opposition to the CON process, a new study concluded that certificate of need has done what it set out to do: Control healthcare costs.
Read more »
Permalink | Post a Comment
Whereas terms such as "reimbursement" instead of "payment" and "provider" instead of "physician" really get on some doctors' nerves, the 22,000-member Maryland State Medical Society has resolved to do something about it.
It has introduced a resolution to be debated at the upcoming American Medical Association House of Delegates meeting taking place June 16-20 in Chicago. The resolution would make it AMA policy that the word “payment” be used instead of “reimbursement” in “all communications that relate to financial transactions between physicians and third-party payers.”
The resolution defines reimbursement as “a repayment for expense or loss incurred,” and payment as “the provision of a certain amount of money in exchange for services rendered.” And it notes that payment is a more accurate description because “the physician has not incurred an expense or loss to the third-party payer that would qualify for a 'reimbursement.'”
Read more »
Permalink | Post a Comment
