One of the big managed care issues placed on hold as a result of Sept. 11 was the push for a patient-rights bill. Now, a major backer of that legislation, the AMA, has decided to take up a cause that hits closer to home.
The AMA is renewing a push for a law that would let private physicians bargain collectively with health plans. Federal law prohibits private physicians from negotiating with HMOs as a group, and also prohibits doctors from striking.
“It is the only way to enable physicians to negotiate effectively with health insurers, without fear of violating antitrust laws,” AMA Secretary-Treasurer Donald Palmisano, MD, told Reuters.
Susan Pisano, a spokeswoman for the American Association of Health Plans, counters that the AMA, in effect, is fighting for the right to collude and set prices.
Paul Lendner ist ein praktizierender Experte im Bereich Gesundheit, Medizin und Fitness. Er schreibt bereits seit über 5 Jahren für das Managed Care Mag. Mit seinen Artikeln, die einen einzigartigen Expertenstatus nachweisen, liefert er unseren Lesern nicht nur Mehrwert, sondern auch Hilfestellung bei ihren Problemen.