Medicare to disclose physician reimbursement data

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

For the first time in decades, HHS may start telling the public exactly how much money individual doctors earn treating Medicare patients.

Previously, the release of specific Medicare physician-payment data was banned because it was deemed an invasion of physician privacy. But last year, a federal judge in Florida ruled that doctors' privacy concerns did not trump the public interest in disclosing the information, which can be used for detecting trends in healthcare utilization and fraud, among other things.

On Tuesday, HHS announced that it would begin responding to Freedom of Information Act requests for physician-payment data. The agency didn't guarantee every request would be filled, but said government officials would begin using a "balancing test" to determine which information should be released.

The Freedom of Information Act's privacy exemption may still shield some information from public view if the damage to physician privacy is judged greater than the public interest in the information. In no case would such disclosures reveal the identities of individual patients.

"As the outcome of the balancing test will depend on the circumstances, the outcomes of these analyses may vary depending on the facts of each case," HHS said in the rule (PDF). "However, in all cases, we are committed to protecting the privacy of Medicare beneficiaries."...

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20140114/NEWS/301149951?AllowView=VDl3UXk1TzRDL0NCbkJiYkY0M3hlMEtvaTBVZEQrYz0=&utm_source=link-20140114-NEWS-301149951&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mh-alert

[ktwlpn, LPN]

It's my opinion the info should be easily accessible, updated annually and apply to every physician in the country. I learned many years ago when the doc does monthly rounds I document in my nurse's note "visited by doc" .If I get hauled into court I won't be lying when I say it was truly a visit,no a real exam. There's NO WAY a doc can round on 80 or 90 residents in a day and actually EXAMINE them.Isn't the reimbursement down to something like 28 or 30 dollars? I guess the residents get what WE pay for...

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

People will be disheartened to learn how little physicians make from Medicare. I wonder how much longer my physicians will take care of me.

[BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN]

I don't have a problem with this. The amounts are pitifully low, considering the volumes of work involved. Patients should be embarrassed about what we are paid on their behalf by Medicare.

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

Since I'm not allowed to pay my physician anything more than the pitiful Medicare payment, I knitted her a pair of cashmere socks last year in hopes of not being dumped:)

[Manda2426]

I think they will "cherry pick" which ones they will release to make it look better on the governments behalf. You just watch and see. They may even target certain doctors that have been, oh let's say, "an issue". They don't do anything without having an agenda behind it.