Posted on 07/10/2015 10:28:41 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
For the first time, the Obama administration has deployed an important new power it has under the Affordable Care Act: proposing to pay doctors and hospitals based on the quality of care they provide, regardless of whether they want to be paid that way.
It introduced two such programs this week. One would require all hospitals in 75 metropolitan areas to accept a flat fee for the costs associated with a hip or knee replacement — including the costs of surgery, medications, the joint implant and rehabilitation. And if the quality of the care is not judged to be good, Medicare will take back some of the money it paid. Another program would increase or decrease payments to home health agencies in nine states, depending on how they perform on certain quality measurements.
The Department of Health and Human Services always had the authority to change the amounts it paid for certain services, but before Obamacare, it needed Congress to pass legislation to change the way it paid for them. The agency is asking for public comment on the proposals.
These changes will allow the administration to reshape the Medicare program. The new payment rules, while guided by existing evidence, are still experimental — and are likely to anger Obamacare critics and members of Congress who would prefer to see major changes to Medicare enacted through legislation.
The proposal “does raise the question of how much legislative authority can be ceded,” Joseph Antos, a scholar at the conservative think tank the American Enterprise Institute, said in an email. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Great way to lose the good doctors....
In other words, they are doing their best to discourage doctors from performing the procedure.
Faceless, nameless overlords, a thousand miles away are deciding for the masses.
How long before the “quality of care” is evaluated based on the doctor’s political views or donations to the “right” party or candidates?
They're creating a situation where people who need medical care the most won't be able to get it. Also a situation where a truly evil doctor could benefit if the patient died of something else.
What's worse is the patients will be evaluated by their donations and political views.
I think that's been part of the plan all along.
one man decides how much to pay a hospital for your new knee
and that you only get one to replace one knee
and how fast they have to discharge you to show it was “quality” care
Obama is STILL pissed than his granny Toot spent part of his inheritance on a hip replacement when she should have just taken a pain pill
Now that they are living under Obamacare, I bet no one has the cohones to the legal route as they prolly know they will be crushed by the Leviathan....
or discouraging them from replacing joints for patients who may need more care and have chances of a lesser outcome than than the “quality care” standards allow
such as elderly people
or people who qualify as “obese”
“Sorry granny, we cannot offer you this procedure
You are 80, you have osteoporosis, and if recovery takes too long you will mess up our hospital’s statistical report and Administrator Ratchet wont get her productivity bonus..”
While sitting in the stands of an athletic arena next too a high end specialist they told me with a low moral body english what is going on; They said, with low moral, Medicine sucks, Incoming PA's are getting paid more than MD's ( china's barefoot Dr's anyone ) and all we do is paperwork. I asked is this paperwork in the last 6 years? Yes... I didn't asked who they voted for and or why.....
This is all anecdotal, but I wonder how many more MD's feel the same way...
I agree 100%. This move is designed to squeeze “savings” out of Medicare, not to ensure quality care for seniors on Medicare. Older patients are going to tend to have more and more serious needs than younger ones. And they don’t tend to respond as well, or as quickly, as younger patients to major surgery and the like. That will equal a “fail” according to the bureaucrats. Doctors and hospitals will face a choice of losing money (and facing other backlash) on the procedure, or steering grandma towards the pain pill.
[I worked for at the time did this and ranked the menu plans based on performance of doctors etc. They got their @$$es sued off and had to get a whole new booklet and plan and we had to do all that picking crap all over again within 6 months and this story made the WSJ.]
Because of HIPPA restrictions doctors are limited in the remedies they have to defend their reputations. As a result, most states recognize that doctors are uniquely vulnerable to questionable attacks on their reputations. I think a class action suit from doctors might challenge this portion of the law.
After what happened a week and 1/2 ago with the Supreme's and their 4 rulings, what 10th amendment? What State Suit? We are so lawless, please tell me I am too cynical...
Sometimes there’s nothing left but drop on our knees and pray.
I had two of my doctors retire, as of January 1st of this year. One, in particular, my GP, always said when Obamacare comes, he goes. So he retired and he's in his 50's. I was transferred to another GP in the group.
Another doctor was a specialist and maybe in her late 50's, same thing, January 1st all patient records were transfered to another practice and she closed her doors. Both of these were well respected by colleagues and had great patient rapport.
I have MS, and see quite a few different specialists, and not one of them is "happy" about the ACA, and they're not afraid to share their opinions with their patienta.
So a bunch of government paid hacks are going to rate my medical care?
Terrific.
.
Slippery slope once you start asking medical people to abandon their oaths and preach death.
can a dead hack still make a decision about mandatory costs?
Incoming PA’s are getting paid more than MD’s ( china’s barefoot Dr’s anyone )
You got it! The PA program was created by the military to make use of Viet Nam era medics who acquired incredible medical training via the battle field and real life experience.
That program is now open to high school grads with no medical experience. Indeed, welcome to China’s barefoot Doctors. Same level of care under socialism in Europe.
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