Physician Payment Reform: Finally
Authors: ROBERT A. BERENSON
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1987)

Editorials1 December 1987Physician Payment Reform: FinallyROBERT A. BERENSON, M.D.ROBERT A. BERENSON, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-107-6-929 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptPhysician payment policy in Medicare has become a hot topic of debate, but like the weather, everyone seems to talk about it, but no one does anything to change it. Patients complain about huge doctor bills, which often are from physicians they have not chosen and sometimes have not even met. The Federal government, faced with unprecedented budget deficits, decries the rise in Medicare physician spending, which currently is more than $20 billion a year. Between 1975 and 1985, federal expenditures for physician services under Part B of Medicare increased at a rate of about 16% a year (1). Even...References1. Physician Reimbursement Under Medicare: Options for Change. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Budget Office; April 1986. Google Scholar2. GABELRICE JT. Reducing public expenditures for physician services: the price of paying less." J Health Polit Policy Law. 1985;9:595-609. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. BERRIEN R. The changing climate of medical practice: what future for primary care private practice? N Engl J Med. 1987;316:334-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Reimbursement for Physicians' Cognitive and Procedural Services: A White Paper. Washington, D.C.: American Society of Internal Medicine; 1981. Google Scholar5. GONZALEZEMMONS MD, eds. Socioeconomic Characteristics of Medical Practice. Chicago: Center for Health Policy Research (American Medical Association): 1986. Google Scholar6. Medicare Physician Payment: An Agenda for Reform. Washington, D.C.: Physician Payment Review Commission; March 1, 1987. Google Scholar7. ROE B. Sounding boards: the UCR boondoggle: a death knell for private practice? N Engl J Med. 1981;305:41-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. PAULY M. Doctors and Their Workshops: Economic Models of Physician Behavior. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1980:57-63. CrossrefGoogle Scholar9. HSIAOSTASON WW. Toward developing a relative value scale for medical and surgical services. Health Care Finan Rev. 1979;1:23-38. MedlineGoogle Scholar10. Paying for Physicians' Services Under Medicare: Issues and Reform Options for the American Association of Retired Persons. Washington, D.C.: Health Policy Alternatives, Inc.; August 15, 1985. Google Scholar11. , Payment for Physician Services: Strategies for Medicare. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office; February 1986: publication no. OTA-H-294. Google Scholar12. STASON W. What cornerstone is best for physician payment reform? Ann Intern Med. 1987; 106: 468-70. LinkGoogle Scholar13. HADLEYBERENSON JR. Seeking the just price: constructing relative value scales and fee schedules. Ann Intern Med. 1987;106:461-6. LinkGoogle Scholar14. Physician Payment Reform Proposals. Chicago: American College of Surgeons; 1986. Google Scholar15. Statement of the Physician Payment Review Commission Before the Subcommittee on Health Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives. Washington, D.C.: Physician Payment Review Commission; June 15, 1987. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByLipids and ObesityPhysician Payment Reform: Congress's TurnRobert A. Berenson, MD 1 December 1987Volume 107, Issue 6Page: 929-931KeywordsMedicare Issue Published: 1 December 1987 PDF DownloadLoading ...