Medicare cuts push local docs to rally

MANATEE — Pending cuts in Medicare reimbursements are threatening the practices of local physicians, according to Manatee County Medical Society leaders.

By extension, those cuts could threaten access to quality health care for Manatee seniors, the physicians say.

That puts doctors and their patients on the same side, which is why medical societies in Manatee and Sarasota counties are inviting the public to attend a health care rally from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Dolphin Aviation Center, 8191 Tamiami Trail.

Medical professionals from Pinellas County to Venice, including medical society President Dr. Lora Brown and Bradenton cardiologist Dr. Alberto E. Montalvo, will speak to a crowd expected to approach 600. Representatives from the offices of U.S. Rep Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, and Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, have committed to be there as well.

A 21.2 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement to physicians went into effect Monday before Congress passed a short-term remedy. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama signed the Temporary Extension Act, which delayed the cut until April 1.

“If this cut goes through, patients won’t have access to care,” said Liz Gatlin, the medical society’s executive director. “That’s our fear. It’s not about the money. Some people think the physicians are crying about this cut, but it’s all about access to care.”

Medicare is a federal government-run program that provides health insurance to people ages 65 and older. According to 2008 estimates from the U.S. Census, 22.8 percent of Manatee County’s population is 65 and older, making physicians here more dependent upon Medicare reimbursements than in other areas.

Dr. Aaron Sudbury, a Bradenton obstetrician/gynecologist and past president of the medical society, said current Medicare reimbursements barely cover the costs of treating patients.

The proposed cut is based on the sustainable growth rate, a government formula that attempts to control spending.

“They came up with a formula to control costs and reimburse physicians that sounded great at the time, but fails to keep up,” Sudbury said. “Medicare payments have never kept up with the costs of delivery of health care.”

Cardiologists have been dealing with Medicare reimbursement cuts of up to 40 percent on outpatient services like cardiac catheterizations and echocardiograms since Jan. 1. Sudbury said a group of local cardiologists is considering dropping Medicare patients by the end of March.

Other physicians may be forced to follow suit if the threatened cuts come to pass, he said.

“When expenses are larger than revenues, any business will go under,” Sudbury said.