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American Medical Association identifies 21 states where patient access to care is at risk
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Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have landed on the American Medical Association’s new “Patient Access Hot Spots” list, which is based on an analysis of areas where Medicare patients’ access to care is at risk.
“This new analysis shows that seniors’ access and choice of physician is already threatened and bolsters the case for permanent repeal of the flawed payment formula that projects the Medicare cuts,” AMA President-Elect Cecil Wilson, MD, said in a press release. “The Senate is considering legislation this week that lays the foundation to permanent repeal, and we urge senators to pass the bill to preserve the security and stability of Medicare.”
Researchers at the AMA studied state-level data on the following five measures of access to care problems:
- the ratio of practicing physicians per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries;
- the number of Medicare beneficiaries who are at least 65 years old and living below 150% of the federal poverty level;
- the estimated underserved population living in areas with a shortage of primary care health professionals;
- the number of emergency room visits per 1,000 citizens; and,
- the percentage of Medicare beneficiaries who reported not seeing a doctor in the past year due to cost.
The 22 patient access hot spots ranked in the top 15 of at least two of the five measures. In addition to the District of Columbia, the following states were identified as hot spots:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- Montana
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
The new analysis supports research from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, which found that 28% of Medicare patients who were in search of a new primary care physician experienced trouble finding one. The new finding also backs anecdotal reports from patients and physicians.
Without a repeal of the Medicare Physician Payment Formula, doctors will face a near 40% cut in reimbursement during the next 5 years, Wilson said.
“In 2 years, the baby boomers will begin to reach Medicare age, and they will expect access to high-quality medical care to stay healthy and active as they age,” he said in the press release. “Physicians want to provide this care, but they need to know that Medicare will cover the cost of providing 21st century medical care.”
He added, “The time for Band-aid fixes that preserve access in the short-term but grow the size of future cuts is past. The U.S. Senate can help ensure that physicians can care for Medicare patients now and into the future through permanent repeal of the broken Medicare physician payment formula.”
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