Dr. Smith Goes to Washington—to Educate, Not to Beg

TUCSON, Ariz., Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a recent Congressional briefing, anesthesiologist G. Keith Smith, M.D., of Oklahoma City explained how costs for surgical procedures could be cut by 80 percent of the hospital "chargemaster" rate.

Unlike many other physicians, he has no complaints about the upcoming 30 percent cut in physicians' fees mandated by the Clinton-Gingrich "sustained growth rate" (SGR) method, which Congress keeps postponing. Nor does he worry about the proposal of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) for three annual 5.9 percent cuts for specialists, followed by a 7-year freeze. Cutting Medicare fees to zero would not affect him.

"We've never taken a dime of government money, so I'm not in Washington asking for anything," he said. "I'm just delivering a message." http://www.aapsonline.org/index.php/site/article/the_doctors_story_get_the_government_out_of_the_way/

The Surgery Center of Oklahoma www.surgerycenterok.com saves the tremendous administrative overhead that is required to comply with Medicare rules. Despite its highly competitive prices, which attract uninsured patients from around the United States, Canada, and other nations, the Center is profitable.

"The free market offers the best and most efficient care at the most economical price," stated Jane M. Orient, M.D., executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), which sponsored the briefing.

An essential feature of a free market is honest prices, she noted. The Center posts the package price paid by uninsured patients. This includes the surgeon, anesthesiologist, supplies, and facility fee.

According to the Texas Medical Association, half of all Texas physicians may opt out of Medicare altogether if the SGR cuts go through. As past AAPS surveys have shown, http://www.jpands.org/vol8no4/serkes.pdf low fees are not the only or even most important problem. The complex new ICD-10 coding system, an 800 percent increase in prosecutions for errors misconstrued as fraud, intrusive audits by bounty hunters, and new ObamaCare compliance requirements make it increasingly difficult for physicians, especially in independent practice, to keep their doors open—if they depend on Medicare or other third-party-payment systems.

Dr. Smith shows that there is a better way, for both doctors and patients.

AAPS, a national organization representing physicians in all specialties, (www.aapsonline.org) was founded in 1943 to defend the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship.

SOURCE Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)