Home Forums Discussions Problems Doctors closed practices due to Medicare cuts

Due to Medicare cuts these doctors stopped taking Medicare patients/closed their practices.

Dr. David D. Richardson, 40, an ophthalmologist in Los Angeles County, closed his practice last week to all but emergency patients and those needing surgery.

its 70 primary care doctors were “no longer accepting new Medicare patients as of July 1 because of the draconian cut in Medicare reimbursement.”

Dr. Gerald E. Harmon, a family doctor in Pawleys Island, S.C., said he decided last week that he would not take new Medicare patients “until further notice.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/h...dxnnlx=1215450473-rgGbbmepLRYcCok5BYVHAw

This is not a surprise to me. Our clinic has all opted out of Medicare and in this part of Oregon, there is only 1 family practice physician that is taking Medicare patients. I feel bad for our Medicare age patients, but Medicare's reimbursement rates in this region are so poor it ends up costing our physicians more to treat than we get reimbursed =(.

Yes but pitty the poor surgeons whose work has an RVU of double that of their $75 per level 4 PCP's peers. He'll only do his .85% surgeries, not his .40-45% office visits... Gee I wonder why???

I still don't understand why the AMA doesn't seem to understand why all these PCP's are dropping them like hot cakes....