Contact: Richard Gulla
rgulla@mms.org
(781) 434-7101
Waltham, Mass. - April 7 - The Massachusetts Medical Society
said today that it has joined other medical societies and
associations from across the country in signing on to a national
petition to fix the formula Medicare uses to pay physicians and
preserve access to care for seniors.
"Stop the
Medicare Meltdown," originally sponsored by the Texas Medical
Association, has been endorsed by 48 state and specialty medical
groups across the U.S. It urges citizens to let Congress know
that "physicians have faced steep payment cuts that make it harder
and harder for them to care for their Medicare patients."
At issue is the way Medicare pays physicians, and the petition
is a call for Congress to fix or replace the payment formula used
to reimburse physicians for caring for Medicare patients.
Mario Motta, M.D., President of the 22,000 member Massachusetts
Medical Society, said "It is unconscionable that Congress has again
failed to act on behalf of the nation's seniors and the physicians
who provide their health care. The repeated failure of Congress to
act on this matter illustrates why the Massachusetts Medical
Society and the American Medical Association continue to insist on
a permanent repeal Medicare physician payment formula."
The basis for such reimbursement has been the Sustainable Growth
Rate (SGR) formula, created by Congress in 1997. Federal lawmakers
have struggled for years to correct it, but year after year have
failed to do so. For eight years, the SGR has called for cuts in
physician reimbursements, only to be reversed by last minute fixes.
It's happening again this year. A 21 percent pay for physicians
went into effect April 1, and Congress has yet to act.
Under the current SGR formula, Medicare payments have been a
losing proposition for physicians. Over those last eight years,
reimbursement rates have been flat, but the cost of running a
medical practice is up over 20 percent. Medicare typically pays
lower than private insurers, and that's causing more physicians to
give up their practices. This is particularly true in rural
areas.
"Doctors want to take care of Medicare patients," the petition
begins, but "Congress is forcing doctors to limit the number of
Medicare patients we see or to quit taking Medicare patients
altogether."
Citizens who wish to sign the petition may do so by visiting www.meandmydoctor.com or
Stop the Medicare Meltdown at www.ipetitions.com/petition/meltdown/
The Massachusetts Medical Society, with some 22,000
physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and
advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The
Society publishes the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading
global medical journal and web site, and Journal Watch alerts and
newsletters covering 13 specialties. The Society is also a leader
in continuing medical education for health care professionals
throughout Massachusetts, conducting a variety of medical education
programs for physicians and health care professionals. Founded in
1781, MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in
the country.
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