The Senate has failed to pass a short-term payment patch for the Medicare physician payment rate, thus allowing a 21.2 percent payment cut to take effect on March 1 based on the sustainable growth rate, or SGR, formula. But the reduction is not expected to have an immediate effect on physician payments.
via www.aafp.org
My long suffering primary care colleagues are now one step closer to losing their practices.
More will sell out to hospital systems that then use their increasing market share to play chicken with insurers.
Others will quit, digging a bigger hole in the foundation of primary care.
Some may have the option of exploring insurance-free practices.
The rest will probably have to swallow hard and put up with more work with more frustrations, less money to do what their patients need.
Time to strap on the belt and crank up that hamster wheel.
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