MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'doctors pay'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:57:25 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4414521&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-money-isnt-everything-to-doctors%2F2011.01.29 I recently pointed to a BMJ study concluding that pay for performance doesn’t seem to motivate doctors. It has been picking up steam in major media with TIME, for instance, saying: “Money isn’t everything, even to doctors.” So much is riding on the concept of pay for performance, that it’s hard to fathom what other options there are should it fail. And there’s mounting evidence that it will. Dr. Aaron Carroll, a pediatrician at the University of Indiana, and regular contributor to KevinMD.com, ponders the options. First he comments on why the performance incentives in the NHS failed: Perhaps the doctors were already improving without the program. If that’s the case, though, then you don’t need economic incentives. It’s possible the incentives were too low. But I don’t... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4414521 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:00:01 +0100 4414521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4167960&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-malpractice-reform-would-doctors-accept-the-deal%2F2010.11.15 The bipartisan debt commission appointed by President Obama recently released its recommendations on how to pare the country’s debt. Of interest to doctors is the suggestion to change the way doctors are paid. Physician lobbies have been advocating for removal of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula — the flawed method by which Medicare, and subsequently private insurers, pays doctors. According to this method, physicians are due for a pay cut of more than 20 percent next month. According to the commission: The plan proposes eliminating the SGR in 2015 and replacing it with a “modest reduction” for physicians and other providers. The plan doesn’t elaborate on what constitutes a “modest reduction” in Medicare reimbursement. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medicai... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4167960 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:00:26 +0100 4167960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4002884&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealth-care-not-health-performance%2F2010.09.26 The “empowered patient” movement (which I think is a good thing) strives to take the doctor out of the center of care and put the patient at its focus. The role of doctor is not to be the star of the show, the quarterback, the superhero, but the advocate and helper for the patient to accomplish their goal: Health. Many rightly attack doctor prima donnas who want the exam/operating room to be about them instead of the patient. This is health care, not health performance. They want doctors who care more about the people they treat than they do about money, praise, or status. I get it. I get the message that doctors have to adjust to this new age of patient empowerment and patient-centeredness. I get the fact that making patients wait is a bad thing, and that communication is as essentia... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4002884 Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:00:36 +0100 4002884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3957912&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fletting-doctors-care-for-their-patients%2F2010.09.10 “Ouch! That really hurts! You win, please stop torquing my arm behind my back. “Uncle! I said, Uncle!!” Yes, the threshold has been reached. We docs no longer need a tennis court or a Mercedes, our kids are fine in public schools, and we will happily buy our own damn pens. But, please, just give us some modicum of autonomy. Throw us a measly scrap and let us take care of our patients as we see best. Like Dr. Saul Greenfield so beautifully said today in the Wall Street Journal. The paragraph that stood out the most for me is as follows: Physician autonomy is a major defense against those who comfortably sit in remote offices and make calculations based on concerns other than an individual patient’s welfare. Uniformity of practice is a nonsensical goal that fails to a... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3957912 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 22:00:00 +0100 3957912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3954258&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedicine-and-the-gender-barrier%2F2010.09.09 It’s only a matter of time before female physicians outnumber men, say medical school heads who are seeing more women in their programs. Although women have broken the gender barrier in medicine, they may want to keep going into nursing, because nurse practitioner salaries grew faster than primary care physicians’ pay – nearly 5 percent compared to nearly 3 percent. Physicians can take some comfort that their average pay is more — $191,000 compared to more than $85,000 — unless they’re women, who among all the life sciences average $13,000 less than their male counterparts in comparable positions and with similar experience. (WCSC TV, Fierce Practice Management, Academic Medicine) *This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist* (Sour... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3954258 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:00:00 +0100 3954258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3625502&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdoc-fix-blamed-on-doctors%2F2010.06.02 The American Medical Association will launch a multi-million-dollar ad campaign tomorrow to heighten pressure on Congress for a doc-fix bill. The American College of Physicians (ACP) reacted by calling for doctors to contact their member of Congress directly to let their voices be heard. Robert Centor, FACP, called for doctors to protest as well. (American Medical Association, American College of Physicians, DB’s Rants) Meanwhile, a Florida medical society predicts a crisis in that senior-laden state. The society cited but did not name eight primary care doctors who’ve stopped accepting Medicare patients this year, and 12 cardiologists who left private practice for employment elsewhere because of already reduced payments. Unbelievably, business columnist Steven Pearlstein sorte... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3625502 Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:00:00 +0100 3625502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1969532&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F3xQSLEbbOlc%2F As Democrats in Congress consider covering more of the uninsured kids by expanding Medicaid, they may want to consider this: Fewer doctors are accepting Medicaid patients not just because fees are so low, but because it often takes months to get paid. Studies show only half of U.S. doctors don’t restrict or cap the number of Medicaid patients they see, while more than 70% of doctors accept all new Medicare or privately insured patients. Medicaid payments are so skimpy payments in many states that doctors say they’d go bust if Medicaid patients make up more than 20% to 25% of their practices. Some reform efforts, such as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ambitious but failed attempt to achieve universal coverage in California last year, have acknowledged this by trying to fund... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1969532 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:37:07 +0100 1969532 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1717804&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F365750743%2F Washington is revving up for a big debate next year over health care — which, realistically, is likely to end up centering around some form of Medicare reform. Everybody wants to somehow save money while also improving care. Proof that trick can be performed consistently in the real world is hard to come by, despite the flurry of concepts and buzzwords being shopped to congressional staffers as the hope for tomorrow. Some encouraging data are just out from a closely watched demonstration project on incentive payments for doctors being run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The project focuses on 10 physician group practices that can earn extra money by improving efficiency and hitting various quality benchmarks. The groups scored nearly perfectly on quality measure... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1717804 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:27:07 +0100 1717804 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1631817&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F336009173%2F We knew the veto was coming, but we didn’t know just when. The mystery ends today when President Bush will veto a bill blocking Medicare pay cuts to doctors, Congressional Quarterly reports. The bill cuts subsidies from some privately managed Medicare plans backed by Bush and many Republicans. But the veto is really the start of the denouement here; the climax came last week, when an ailing Ted Kennedy made a surprise appearance on the Senate floor, pushing the vote through. At the same time, several Republican senators switched sides on the vote, giving it enough backing to override the veto. At a press conference yesterday, an administration official who said the veto would come today blamed the likely override on the Republicans who switched sides to support the bill, after votin... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1631817 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:16:14 +0100 1631817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1594096&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F328862967%2F Congress is back in session today after a weeklong recess, and dealing with those pesky Medicare cuts is high on the to-do list. The story lands on the front page of this morning’s New York Times; the WSJ has a story news story as well as an editorial. Here are the key pieces of the puzzle. 1. Because of a funding plan put into place a few years back, Medicare’s reimbursements to doctors were cut by 10.6% on July 1. 2. Congress has a recent history of blocking such cuts at the last minute. The House recently passed a bill that would block the reimbursement cuts and save money by cutting funding to privately run Medicare Advantage plans, which cost more than traditional Medicare. But the Senate narrowly failed to pass the bill. 3. With Congress out for recess last week, the Cent... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1594096 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:42:44 +0100 1594096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1531992&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F316221478%2F Health-care providers who treat Medicare patients owe more than $2 billion in back taxes. That finding, out yesterday, is one in a series from the Government Accountability Office — but the subtext isn’t about the money, per se. OK, it’s always about the money. But in this case the Congress is pushing Medicare administrators to use a federal system that allows the IRS to garnish payments to government contractors who owe taxes. The GAO reports were commissioned by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s investigations panel. Carl Levin and Norm Coleman, the senior Democrat and Republican on the panel, have introduced legislation that would require Medicare to use the levy program on doctors, hospitals and other providers in the system, the... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1531992 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:34:37 +0100 1531992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1518653&cid=t_407377_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fpaymates.html It seems the price of petrol and diesel may yet go higher, this time for local reasons. UK fuel tanker drivers are planning to go on strike next week.The two haulage firms, Hoyer UK and Suckling Transport, say unions rejected a pay offer which would take the drivers' average salary to £41,500 by January 2009…… A Unite spokesman earlier said the company's offer would have increased salaries from just under £32,000 to £36,000. He said the companies' £41,500 figure could only be reached if possible overtime was included. BBCI was not following this strike too closely until a surgical SpR whom I know who is currently working at a famous London teaching hospital emailed me to point out that there is a similarity between these lorry drivers and middle grade medical and surgical registrar... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1518653 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:42:00 +0100 1518653