that’s the only way I know to describe the sentiments of PT’s and the entire medical community over the inability of the Senate to pass HR 6331 which would have avoided a 10.6% cut in fees for medical providers and for us PT’s it would have extended the exceptions process.
My observations:
-the method to avoid the fee reduction was actually well founded in that it sought to reduce the premium paid to private insurers that is above the cost that CMS could administer the plan itself. I believe Mr. Obvious would site that politics played a role in the Senate not passing this
-A system where the cap is in place for everybody but hospitals is just illogical as CMS’ data clearly shows that hospitals are losing significant market share in patients obtaining care in that outpatient setting. I challenge anybody in the profession to explain with any logic the reason that hospitals are exempt
-I am steadfastly against a cap for most of the traditional reasons that have been cited but also because it is unprecedented in the CMS system. Can you imagine a cap on imaging or seeing a family physician? Does CMS easily forget that PT is less than 2% of their budget?
-I am equally against the exception process. All it does is increase our cost (essentially decreasing reimbursement) thru an additional administration burden that while occurring infrequently casts a disruptive process to a PT clinic
I predict that somehow the 10% reduction will get dealt with because it is an election year. I am not as confident on anything related to PT.
I highly commend APTA and groups like PTPN for their yeoman’s work in organizing the troops of PT’s to lobby for the passage of the legislation in both the Senate and the House. What I cannot understand is why can’t we get the same sense of mobilization for the rules that CMS has put in place that profoundly impacts PT at much greater rates and financial implications than the Cap? Why can’t we get PT’s on Capital Hill with the same rage to fight for the following:
-complete elimination of the stupid plan of care requirement that has gone from 30 days to 90 days without any clear implementation (now I know how Seniors felt about figuring out their new Medicare Part D drug benefit).
-elimination of all of the rules that are directly against practice acts and eliminate judgment by PT’s who are now in supposedly a “doctoring” profession including 8 minute rule, explicit providers of PT and PTA’s only, supervision requirements of PTA’s and students that are grossly inconsistent, the whole “group” therapy mess, and elimination of the requirement of physician referral
Why do we simply sit back and assume the position referred to in the 1978 film Animal House along with its phrase “thank you sir may I have another” ?
Perhaps the time has finally come when the PT’s around the US can lobby for all of these things together rather than a piecemeal approach that overemphasizes a cap that occurs at much less frequently than the practice superimposed rules that severely marginalize our profession and undermine the professional medical judgment of a PT.
Thoughts?
