Dive Brief:
- A report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) shows states that didn't expand Medicaid had a 3.3% increase in physician reimbursements last year for primary care doctors and 4% for surgeons. In states that did expand Medicaid, it was up 3% for primary care doctors and 2% for surgeons. This data are attributed mostly to an increase in reimbursement rates.
- The analysis looked at data from 20,000 physicians. The database is part of the ACAView project, a co-effort between athenahealth and RWJF.
- The reimbursement increases are from an average of all payers - Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. Although the report reflected patient visits to doctors offices remain flat, primary care physicians have picked up the slack by treating more complex medical cases.
Dive Insight:
According to Forbes, industry analysts say it makes sense for primary care doctors to take on more complex cases under new models of care like accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes. Travis Singleton, senior vice president of MerrittHawkins, told Forbes, "Primary care physicians are focusing on more complex cases, for which they are paid more on a relative value scale. This allows for primary care visits to be flat while reimbursements rise."