A regulation is trying to be passed in our government concerning the quality of care for Medicare patients. As of 2008, doctors who treat Medicare patients will receive cuts of 5 to 10 percent. The way Medicare is currently setup, doctors bring in bigger reimbursements when they treat more people, rather than the quality of the care they provide. The regulation is trying to ensure that Medicare patients get the best care they can possibly get the first time, rather than a second or third visit. With the current system, a doctor can misdiagnose a patient and they will have to return for another prescription. With that, the doctor has a bigger reimbursment. In 2006, a "pay-for-performance" bill was introduced. When a doctor provides information about the treatment, if it is applicable, they will receive a 1.5% bonus.
I think they should go for the "pay-for-performance" bill. If a doctor can bring in more money by incorrectly prescribing patients, and they know it, they might just screw up to get more money. Doctors are some of the highest grossing people in the world, and they dont need any more money than they already get. If we related that to a mechanic, we can more clearly see the problems this causes. If the mechanic is payed by quantity of services rather than quality, he could repair a hundred cars a week with duct tape, and have them all break down again within a week. This mechanic now has two hundred fixes in a week rather than one thousand. Plus, if the mechanic is careless lives could be at stake when the cars breakdown. The exact same is true for a doctor. If he is careless and only goes through the motions, rather than fully diagnosing a patient, lives could be at stake.
Issue 1- http://arj-robinson.blogspot.com
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