Healthcare Reform: Will the Sick (Practices) Get Sicker?
Healthcare Reform: Will the Sick (Practices) Get Sicker?
- December 22nd, 2009by Eric Gunderson, CEO, Valeo Communications
2009 was a tough year for a lot of practices in the Louisville area. Aside from the ever growing concerns about diminishing insurance reimbursements and increasing administrative expenses, you now have to worry about what healthcare reform will mean to your business AND personal accounts.
Will Washington further cut into reimbursements? Will they pay these reforms by increasing your taxes? What kinds of changes will you be forced to make in managing your practice - and how will you pay for that?
Here’s what I wonder - if I’m in medical school right now, do I seriously think about dropping out to find a new career? Medicine certainly doesn’t appear to be nearly as lucrative profession as it once did - even after your loans are paid off. Is the call of patient care strong enough to justify sacrificing your own lifestyle objectives and what you can provide for your family?
In talking with hundreds of doctors over the past year, I’ve hear a lot about closing offices, decreasing staff, abandoning independent practices for steady paychecks in healthcare networks and searching for new revenue streams. Everyone seems to agree that some form of change needs to be implemented, but no one is confident that what is coming will be good for the business of medicine.
What ever happened to taking care of those who take care of us? Teachers, police and now doctors are among the many professionals who shape and protect this country’s citizens but seem to be consistently de-valued while large, mismanaged corporations and their executives are bailed out, tax-incentive and coddled as too big to fail.
For some reason, the educated work force that creates jobs for learned, contributing citizens just doesn’t seem as important to politicians. Unfortunately this is probably due to there being a majority of voters who are more concerned with protecting their own piece of the pie rather than creating employment and wealth opportunities.
For more information about the author or Valeo Communications, call 502-558-1717 or visit www.valeocommunications.com
