Medical Briefs

Physicians Taking Fewer Medicare Patients

Low reimbursement rates have caused growing numbers of doctors to limit the number of Medicare patients they treat. The American Medical Association reports that 17% of more than 9,000 physicians surveyed restrict the number of Medicare patients in their practices. Among primary care physicians, 31% limit the number of Medicare patients their practices will take on. The American Academy of Family Physicians said that 13% of members did not participate in Medicare in 2009, up from 8% in 2008 and 6% in 2004.

Physicians’ Pay Mixed in 2009

Physicians in primary care specialties experienced a 2.8% increase in median compensation in 2009, according to the Medical Group Management Association’s Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2010 Report Based on 2009 Data. Physicians in obstetrics/gynecology, invasive cardiology and hematology/oncology reported flat or declining incomes. OB/GYN physicians reported a 1.1% decline in total median compensation, while specialists in invasive cardiology reported a 0.2% decrease.