In a conference room in Dallas, HHS Secretary Tom Price, MD, met with surgeons to assure them he was aware of issues they face in today's healthcare environment, according to STAT.
John Gill, MD, a solo practitioner in Dallas, told STAT he believes Dr. Price took their concerns "to heart." While Dr. Price was more of a listening ear than anything else during that meeting, he offered to help the physicians, especially those in small and rural practices, Dr. Gill said.
Under Dr. Price's rein as secretary thus far, he gave the American Medical Association more power regarding deciding how much money the federal government will allocate practices for various medical services. Additionally, Dr. Price proposed changing various Medicare rules for some providers so they wouldn't have to face penalties for various measures. Repeatedly, Dr. Price has delayed ACA regulations that would have fined physicians who were either not ready or unable to transition from a fee-for-service to a value-based payment model.
One physician spoke to STAT on an anonymity condition, saying "We're [physicians] are not used to having wins, and all of a sudden, we're getting these rules where a lot of what we asked to have happen is happening."
On the other hand, Dr. Price has proposed to slash Medicare payments for services outpatient departments provide. Additionally, he proposed a payment cut to a program aimed at giving hospitals that serve low-income populations additional funding. STAT reports Dr. Price has more so sided with physicians who work within larger health systems, as opposed to the health systems themselves.
Other officials are looking to ease the burden reporting requirements place on physicians, including CMS Administrator Seema Verma.
She said, "We've heard the concerns that too many quality programs, technology requirements and measures get between the doctor and the patient. That's why we're taking a hard look at reducing burdens."