Comment Summary

Medicare is proposing a 10.6% across the board reduction in fees for physicians as of July 2008. How will this affect your medical practice?
#	Response Date	Other (please specify)
1.	6/11/2008 11:41:00 AM	It will affect my personal income and I will have to work harder
2.	6/11/2008 11:42:00 AM	I am not in medical practice
3.	6/11/2008 11:44:00 AM	I am practicing overseas
4.	6/11/2008 11:46:00 AM	continue to offer care to all
5.	6/11/2008 1:27:00 PM	It makes retirement a much easier choice.
6.	6/11/2008 1:55:00 PM	It will create financial hardship. I cannot increase other fees becasue insurers wont pay more
7.	6/11/2008 2:09:00 PM	not seeing patients, but a good topic for writing
8.	6/11/2008 2:15:00 PM	it will have a major knock on effect as other insurances follow suit
9.	6/11/2008 3:25:00 PM	I will need to see more patients to make up the difference.
10.	6/11/2008 3:25:00 PM	I will need to see more patients to make up the difference.
11.	6/11/2008 4:37:00 PM	unsure at this time
12.	6/11/2008 5:25:00 PM	I work in a University-based practice and so the effect will not be direct on me, but will have a negative effect on referring to specialists and on the University Medical Center's overall well-being.
13.	6/11/2008 5:25:00 PM	I am no longer practicing
14.	6/11/2008 6:00:00 PM	I work for a hospital which will be forces to reduce services
15.	6/11/2008 6:20:00 PM	I will have sincere concern for my practicing collegues and its effect on US Medicine
16.	6/11/2008 7:16:00 PM	I have already closed my practice due to overhead exceeding payment for services across the board (Medicare, Medicaid, HMOs, private health insurance, etc.)
17.	6/11/2008 10:44:00 PM	It may push me into retirement
18.	6/12/2008 12:27:00 AM	it won't happen
19.	6/12/2008 12:58:00 AM	This is a disgrace. I just want Medicare to cover my overhead. With the expected cut, Medicare payments will not cover overhead, 50% of which is due to federal and state govt regulations
20.	6/12/2008 2:57:00 AM	it will decrease my income proportionally
21.	6/12/2008 1:30:00 PM	Academic practice/ essentially inaffected
22.	6/13/2008 1:59:00 AM	retired
23.	6/14/2008 2:23:00 AM	It will lower my take home income
24.	6/14/2008 7:11:00 PM	It will require a reduction in nursing services that my practice can offer, as I will be forced to reduce staffing to offset simultaneous increases in overhead and decreases in re-imbursement
25.	6/15/2008 5:14:00 PM	I will have to see more patients. Or take another pay cut.
26.	6/23/2008 11:37:00 AM	increase volume
27.	6/23/2008 12:42:00 PM	it will reduce my pay
28.	6/23/2008 2:12:00 PM	I am in a university hospital and am salaried
29.	6/23/2008 3:00:00 PM	I will close my practice if the HMO's follow Medicare fees down.
30.	6/23/2008 3:40:00 PM	The answers are biased here. It will force me to rethink how best to provide care.
31.	6/23/2008 4:35:00 PM	I am salaried by a college of medicine
32.	6/23/2008 9:54:00 PM	I may opt out as well. Haven't decided yet.
33.	6/24/2008 2:49:00 AM	it will limit hiring and equipment upgrades
34.	6/24/2008 7:11:00 AM	However, it will affect my hospital
35.	6/25/2008 4:11:00 PM	I will have to work even harder. Private insurance will drop their reimbursement to follow Medicare. Essentially I will have less time available for all patients
36.	6/26/2008 2:07:00 AM	Reduction in physician fees is ridiculous when cost of staff, benefits and other overhead only goes up.
37.	6/26/2008 2:26:00 AM	Reduction in physician fees is ridiculous when cost of staff, benefits and other overhead only goes up.