PT's Should be able to out of Medicare like everyone else

Act Now or Forever Hold Your Peace!

 

Healthcare reform is moving fast and furious, and private practice in physical therapy is in serious jeopardy of becoming obsolete.   While it may make sense for certain portions of our profession to be included in a broad-based, subsidized system (e.g., acute care PT, and PT for long-term, chronic disabilities), private practice is more likely to be washed away.  The current healthcare environment is already a threat to independent practices.  Reimbursement rates from the insurance companies are insufficient to support a small business model that focuses on individualized care over high volume and access to the most qualified provider to meet patients' needs rather than the least qualified service extenders.  

 

While the current healthcare system creates a monopoly environment in which hospitals get reimbursed at a higher rate than the same service provided by an independent practitioner (e.g., outpatient physical therapy), we are able to survive because we can opt-out of the network.  We cannot, however, opt-out of Medicare.  Certain providers, such as physical therapist, do not have the legal standing to opt-out of Medicare.  So, if a physical therapist does not participate, they cannot provide services.  If the public plan is modeled after Medicare -- those restrictions are likely to continue or be expanded, and will include larger numbers of consumers.  Furthermore, private insurers will follow suit in their restrictions (they already have -- rendering escalating penalties to consumers who step out-of-network, and providers who refer out-of-network).  The unintended consequence of using the Medicare model for an expanded government healthcare program will be to force many small business healthcare providers to close their doors.   Communities across the country will be negatively impacted in terms of significant job loss as practices close and decreased access to quality healthcare providers.

 

Healthcare reform must include an element of the free market system that relies on transparent competition among providers to render the best care possible. Not only are transparency, consumer choice in insurance plans, and direct access to providers critical, so too is the right of consumers and providers to step out-of-network to support outcomes-driven excellence and sustainability in small-business healthcare practices

 

Our legislatures need to hear from small business owners in the healthcare sector.  We cannot rely on others to speak for us or the entrepreneurs who drive innovation and excellence in the marketplace will have no place to go, but home.   Please follow the link, and sign the attached petition today!  Let's send 10,000 voices to Congress on June 26th, 2009. 

 

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/choosephysicaltherapy.

 

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Jennifer M. Gamboa, DPT, OCS, MTC