Joint Economic Committee Highlights Innovation in Health Care Delivery
Washington, DC—Senator Robert F. Bennett, Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, held a hearing today to explore how some doctors are finding alternatives to the traditional third-party payer health care system, and at the same time providing better care for their patients.
“Many doctors are frustrated by the state of our current health care system, and their patients are too,” said Chairman Bennett. “Doctors are continually faced with third-party entities interfering in their practice, pushing them toward a system that focuses on arcane regulations, not on patient care.”
Low reimbursement rates often require physicians to increase the number of patients they see and shorten the length of office visits. They must also shoulder the burdens of increased practice costs, time-consuming paperwork, and rising medical liability premiums. Many patients, particularly those with lower incomes, find it difficult to obtain affordable care and to receive it in a timely manner. They often feel rushed through brief office appointments, without having adequate time to address their questions and concerns or adequate help to navigate the complex medical system.
In response to the gaps that have grown in the current health care system, many innovative and entrepreneurial doctors are adopting a different approach to providing quality health care. Chairman Bennett invited three practicing physicians to testify before the committee, physicians who have their own unique approaches to delivering health care.
“Doctors who have moved away from the third-party payer system have found ways to spend more time with their patients, to provide a better quality of care, and to get excited again about the reasons they became a doctor in the first place – to help people,” said Bennett.
Among the approaches discussed at the hearing were:
·Cash-based, pay-as-you-go services. Physicians fully disclose their prices up front, insist upon payment at the time of service, and generally do not accept any third-party insurance reimbursements.
·So-called concierge care, or retainer medicine. It focuses on preventive care, wellness plans, individualized attention, and prompt, 24-hour access to a personal physician.
·Grass roots charitable care clinics, which leverage community resources and streamline care delivery to meet the urgent medical needs of the poor and the uninsured.
“By studying how these entrepreneurial physicians are building their practices, we can learn about the strengths and weaknesses of our current health care system and how better to address them,” said Bennett. “We are not advocating an either-or approach to health care delivery, but looking for a way to move toward a balance.”
“Many doctors are frustrated by the state of our current health care system, and their patients are too,” said Chairman Bennett. “Doctors are continually faced with third-party entities interfering in their practice, pushing them toward a system that focuses on arcane regulations, not on patient care.”
Low reimbursement rates often require physicians to increase the number of patients they see and shorten the length of office visits. They must also shoulder the burdens of increased practice costs, time-consuming paperwork, and rising medical liability premiums. Many patients, particularly those with lower incomes, find it difficult to obtain affordable care and to receive it in a timely manner. They often feel rushed through brief office appointments, without having adequate time to address their questions and concerns or adequate help to navigate the complex medical system.
In response to the gaps that have grown in the current health care system, many innovative and entrepreneurial doctors are adopting a different approach to providing quality health care. Chairman Bennett invited three practicing physicians to testify before the committee, physicians who have their own unique approaches to delivering health care.
“Doctors who have moved away from the third-party payer system have found ways to spend more time with their patients, to provide a better quality of care, and to get excited again about the reasons they became a doctor in the first place – to help people,” said Bennett.
Among the approaches discussed at the hearing were:
·Cash-based, pay-as-you-go services. Physicians fully disclose their prices up front, insist upon payment at the time of service, and generally do not accept any third-party insurance reimbursements.
·So-called concierge care, or retainer medicine. It focuses on preventive care, wellness plans, individualized attention, and prompt, 24-hour access to a personal physician.
·Grass roots charitable care clinics, which leverage community resources and streamline care delivery to meet the urgent medical needs of the poor and the uninsured.
“By studying how these entrepreneurial physicians are building their practices, we can learn about the strengths and weaknesses of our current health care system and how better to address them,” said Bennett. “We are not advocating an either-or approach to health care delivery, but looking for a way to move toward a balance.”
