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Facts that emphasize the urgent need for a health care reform:

• In 2007, the United States spent approximately $2.2 trillion on health care, or $7,421 per person – nearly twice the average of other developed nations. ()

• According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS), total healthcare spending hit $2.5 trillion in 2009, consuming a record 17.3% of the gross domestic product. (LA Times).

• The (CMS) project healthcare spending will be over $4.1 trillion by 2016, accounting for 19.6% of GDP. (HIMSS).

• The Congressional Budget Office warns that if rapid health cost growth persists, one out of every four dollars in our national economy will be tied up in the health system by 2025. This growing burden will restrict other investments and priorities that are needed to boost American economy locally and will hurdle its economic competitiveness in the global economy. ()

Impact of health care reform on different aspects of physicians’ career:

The health care reform may greatly affect physicians’ salaries. In fact, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act emphasizes changes in Medicare payments for many physicians that may result in some immediate and other long-term increases in their compensation. Primary care physicians, for instance, will receive 10 percent incentive payments for pegging 60 percent of their services to Medicare charges. Such incentives may indicate a major change in their median income over the time period 2011-16, since according to MGMA Physician Compensation and Production Survey 2009, the median income of primary care physicians is in the lowest of other specialties, illustrated by the following chart. Over the same time period, general surgeons performing major procedures in a health shortage area will receive the same percentage of incentive payments. Psychotherapists, who provide mental health services, will be eligible for 5 percent bonus payment as well. (AMA)

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It has been well-acknowledged that one of the goals of the reform is to reduce medical liability and litigation costs on physicians. Tort reform gives priority to patients and reduction of preventable injuries, while enhancing communication between physicians and their patients. The reform aims as well at developing alternative systems that would reduce liability premiums. ()

The reform emphasizes the urgent need for primary-care physicians to provide basic health care for 46 million more people. However, a study by the Association of American Medical Colleges reports an overall shortage of primary-care doctors that may grow to 124,400 by 2025. To address this problem, various legislative proposals under debate advocate providing incentives for doctors entering primary-care residency programs. Moreover, changes in Medicare reimbursement would make entering family medicine more attractive to many medical school graduates. (Washington Post).

The following pie chart and table illustrate physician distribution among specialties and percentage of primary care physicians to other specialties in 2006, compared to the anticipated need for primary care physicians in 2020.

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The current health care system is based on fee-for-service, which rewards the quantity of care rather than its quality. Such a system encourages the doctor to order unnecessary testing. The reform advocates building the system on a good “quality of care” that doesn’t burden the government with unnecessary testing. (Washington Post).

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, grants that worth nearly $1.2 billion will be awarded to hospitals and health care providers to implement and use electronic medical records. The health care reform emphasizes that the use of EMR and high-tech patient monitoring systems can potentially improve patient satisfaction, reduce hospitalizations and provide cost savings and more efficient use of health care resources, while guaranteeing patients’ privacy. ().

Resources:

The White House: Health Care. Retrieved at URL:

Los Angeles Times. “Soaring cost of healthcare sets a record: Spending was 17.3% of the economy last year. The share paid by the U.S. will soon exceed 50%, a study says”. Written by Noam N. Levey. (February 04, 2010). Retrieved at URL:

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). “A Call for Action: Enabling health care reform using information technology. Recommendations for the Obama Administration and 111th Congress”. (December 2008). Retrieved at URL:

American Medical Association (AMA). “How the Passage of Federal Health System Reform Legislation Impacts Your Practice”. Retrieved at URL:

Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). MGMA Physician Compensation and Production Survey, 2009. Retrieved at URL:

The White House: Medical Liability. Retrieved at URL:

The Washington Post. “Primary-Care Doctor Shortage May Undermine Reform Efforts. No Quick Fix as Demand Already Exceeds Supply.” Written by Ashley Halsey III.(June 20, 2009). Retrieved at URL:

American Academy for Family Physicians (AAFP).Primary Care Physicians and Other Specialties in U.S., by Percent. Retrieved at URL:

American Academy for Family Physicians (AAFP). Family Physician Workforce Reform: Recommendations of the American Academy of Family Physicians. (2006). State-by-State Number of Family Physicians in 2006 and the projected need in 2020 table. Retrieved at URL:

The White House: EMR. Retrieved at URL: )

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