Published: 2010-08-29 23:02:28
Author: Bruce Feinberg | Atlanta Journal-Constitution | August 13, 2010
Physicians play many vital roles, but none more important than patient advocate. It’s our job to help patients understand their options and help everyone else who touches their care understand their treatment experience.
So, what happens when the government decides they’re going to set health care policy without talking to practicing physicians?
The patient’s voice is silenced, and decisions are made about their care without their participation. Ultimately, patient care suffers.
This very scenario is developing before us, with the recent elimination of the Practicing Physicians Advisory Council (PPAC) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
In just one section of the Health Care Reform Act, an important link between practicing physicians and government policy was dismantled.
CMS sets reimbursement levels for many health care services and products, including vitally important cancer drugs. CMS decisions about which services and drugs to reimburse, and at what levels, greatly influence the quality of care that physicians are able to provide.
The 15-member panel met quarterly with CMS to share their unique experiences in patient care and ensure that the highest possible level of care was reimbursed by CMS.
These physicians — the men and women on the front lines of health care — no longer have a voice to speak as patient advocates when government policy is crafted.
While there are other avenues through which physicians can address the federal agency, none provide a direct link between the government agency and practicing physicians who know the needs of patients best.
Since it was founded in 1992 by a provision in the Social Security Act, PPAC members met with federal officials quarterly to discuss matters pertaining specifically to Medicare fee for service.