Re: Re: Effect of National Health Care on Private Practice Physic...

[Guest guest]

The Deficits are worse than most people really know. Social Security

funding has exceeded expenditures for quite some time. The money is supposed

to be

segregated from the regular budget because it is earmarked strictly for

retirement/retirees. However, our legislators figured out the budget deficits

wouldn't look nearly as bad if we took the Social Security surplus and added it

back to the overall deficit and reported a smaller deficit number. During

the Clinton administration, everyone reported that the government was running

a surplus..., when in fact it was a deficit. Until they added the Social

Security Surplus in. If my memory is correct, the last time the US Government

truly had a surplus was when Truman was in office. As always, someone else

will correct this statement if it is wrong.

Jim <///><

**************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.

http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

[Guest guest]

In the United States the supply is expanded or retracted to meet demand. In

Canada the demand is controlled by limiting supply.

Kunkel MSPT

**************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.

http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

[Guest guest]

-

I am not a proponent of a one payer system.

However, I think the traditional supply / demand model you mention in your

message breaks down in healthcare due to the 3rd party payer system and how

medical providers are paid. In US healthcare there are numerous examples where

DEMAND is created to meet the SUPPLY. This is one factor that unfortunately

drives up costs in the system.

" When you have a hammer everything looks like a nail. " When you own an MRI

everyone needs imaging. Areas of the country with high numbers of surgical

specialists per capita tend to have higher numbers of surgical patients.

" There is a significant relationship between the specialist physician supply per

hundred thousand residents

and Medicare spending on physicians' services. As the supply of specialist

physicians increases by 100 per

hundred thousand population (e.g., from 150 to 250), Medicare spending could be

predicted to increase by

$136 per enrollee (R2 = .15). "

http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/atlases/96Atlas.pdf

I have met with insurance company reps that complain that PTs treat to the

patient's benefit. If the patient's plan allows 20 PT visits in the calendar

year, the patient seems to get 20 PT visits.

Unless providers focus on taking on the role of managing care and work with the

other stakeholders in the system to develop a payment system that rewards these

efforts along with good clinical outcomes and preventative activities, we will

continue to face lower reimbursement regardless of the payer system (private or

government).

My 2 cents.

Todd Gifford PT

TherapeuticAssociates

www.therapeuticassociates.com

www.careconnections.com

/

Re: Re: Effect of National Health Care on Private Practice

Physic...

In the United States the supply is expanded or retracted to meet demand. In

Canada the demand is controlled by limiting supply.

Kunkel MSPT

**************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.

http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489