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This is kind of scary as to where we are going with pain killers.  One good thing though is that there are many new devices on the market coming out that distribute pain killer right to the affected area for recovery from surgery, wounds and so on and I would take that in a heartbeat versus taking pain killers.  I have had surgeries to where for a few days where I took Vicodin and I know what it does after a couple of days and that’s about all I am good for as I prefer being alert. 

The case being made here is less liver damage from the acetaminophen found in combination drugs, like Vicodin, but it also puts the drug in a stronger controlled group with regards to refills, etc.  Again myself I couldn’t imagine anything stronger as the combination drug was enough for me for a couple or three days.  This is of course abused drug in the US.  In 2007 the Purdue drug company pleaded guilty to their claims that the drug was not addictive.  The company also makes patches that release opioid controlled substances as well and was approved by the FDA in 2010. 

Purdue Pharma Receives FDA Approval for Butrans™ Transdermal System For Severe Pain Management.

Some of the drugs get recalled too, like this example below. 

FDA Recall: Vicodin (Hydrocodone Bitartrate) in Phenobarbital Bottles Qualitest Pharma-Incorrect Package Labeling

Earlier this year the FDA approved cough and cold medicine to contain hydrocodone so it looks like it’s going to be around for a while and I guess we shall wait and see fi the pure stuff makes it to the market.  BD 

FDA Approves NDA for Two Hydrocodone Cough and Cold Medications From Cypress Pharmaceuticals

NEW YORK — Drug companies are working to develop a pure, more powerful version of the nation’s second most-abused medicine, which has addiction experts worried that it could spur a new wave of abuse.

The new pills contain the highly addictive painkiller hydrocodone, packing up to 10 times the amount of the drug as existing medications such as Vicodin. Four companies have begun patient testing, and one of them – Zogenix of San Diego – plans to apply early next year to begin marketing its product, Zohydro.

If approved, it would mark the first time patients could legally buy pure hydrocodone. Existing products combine the drug with nonaddictive painkillers such as acetaminophen.

Oxycodone is now the most-abused medicine in the United States, with hydrocodone second, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s annual count of drug seizures sent to police drug labs for analysis.

The latest drug tests come as more pharmaceutical companies are getting into the $10 billion-a-year legal market for powerful – and addictive – opiate narcotics.

Zogenix has completed three rounds of patient testing, and last week it announced it had held a final meeting with Food and Drug Administration officials to talk about its upcoming drug application. It plans to file the application in early 2012 and have Zohydro on the market by early 2013.

Opiates block pain but also unleash intense feelings of well-being and can create physical dependence. The withdrawal symptoms are also intense, with users complaining of cramps, diarrhea, muddled thinking, nausea and vomiting.

Purdue Pharma and Cephalon, a Frazer, Pa.-based unit of Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals, are conducting late-stage trials of their own hydrocodone drugs, according to documents filed with federal regulators. In May, Purdue Pharma received a patent applying extended-release technology to hydrocodone. Neither company would comment on its plans.

After a while, opiates stop working, forcing users to take stronger doses or to try slightly different chemicals.

Pure hydrocodone falls into the stricter drug-control category than hydrocodone-acetaminophen medications, meaning patients would have to go to their doctors for a new prescription each time they needed more pills. But Jackson said that’s no guarantee against abuse, noting that dozens of unscrupulous doctors have been caught churning out prescriptions in so-called “pill mills.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/26/hydrocodone-painkiller-drug-abuse-experts_n_1170143.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

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Fish are still swimming in the flooded basement and there’s only 2 small generators to pump water out.  Some of the hospital staff have lost family but are there still working.  Some patients have died and it’s mostly the frail elderly. 

The hospital only gets 2 hours of electricity with the use of a generator supplied by the government.  Patients who could go go shelters have left.  The video below shows the aftermath of what one hospital is dealing with and you get a real good view of all the damage from the mud and so forth.  All the medical records are covered with water and mud and thus so they are not able to use them.  BD  

Japan hospital–Tsunami

TAGAJO, Japan — The temperature drops about 10 degrees when you walk into Senen General Hospital, which hasn’t had gas, electricity or running water for a week and a half.

The old concrete buildings, in a part of town between a river and the coast, were flooded on the first floor when a giant tsunami swamped the neighborhood. In these cold, dark halls, the staff — some of whom have lost their homes and are now living in shelters — work 24-hour shifts to keep its remaining patients alive.

Tsunami-hit hospital copes with no heat, light – Health – Health care – More health news – msnbc.com

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This is an interesting opinion piece and partly I agree and part not but there is big bubble out there and not all will survive as we have innovation coming out our ears, but not enough collaboration.  We are already starting to see this with complicated medical records system and it’s still going that way.  Mobile health is about the same if not worse with everyone having an app for every ache one has or how to exercise better, or how to find your insurer and programs that report back data with devices.  Everyone wants the winning edge here and there are those doing better than others but none are a clear outstanding winner in the long run as tomorrow one can be dethroned in a heartbeat. 

The payer side of this and cost for IT services is huge and there are tons of duplicated services there and this is one of the reasons care is so high as we have to satisfy all those transaction charges.  Cheaper drugs too are part of the expenditures but the IT side is one that many do not understand and time after time services and software are “over bought” and piece mealed  together.  This is where the real CIO comes in handy with server knowledge and cloud applications but there are not too many out there that are really well versed on everything as it takes a ton of studying and in the meantime the cost for Health IT keeps rising, again in the background and mostly out of site. 

WHAT IS THE WORLD OF HEALTH IT GOING TO DO WHEN EVERYONE RUNS OUT OF MONEY?  The answer is to get better software and cut out the transaction fees that eat us up alive.  Insurers like it though and even own some of these technologies too so it adds to their bottom line.  Actually Dr. Berwick is pretty intuitive in looking at this area with Medicare first of all with the Innovation Center as he sees it’s a big problem.

CMS Introduces The Innovation Center for Medicare & Medicaid–A Place for Collaboration

Dr. Berwick still has these folks from the 70s though in Congress that are not up to speed and ask for information from him that is public record.  These are wholly the “non participants” lacking general consumer IT literacy that are making laws today and it is scary as the tech folks on the internet talk about them all the time and this lack of technology and resistance to learn. 

Medicare Chief Berwick Scheduled to Testify Before Senate Finance Committee Next Week- A Witch Hunt or Collaboration?

Dr. Berwick in establishing this center will be employing some real Algo Men as he will need them to make it work as well as individuals who are committed to establishing solutions to real day problems.

I see it all the time even in small offices where practices are over paying for what they need and I mean this outside of a medical record program and am including the red tape practice management, billing, claims, etc. part of all this.  Some hospitals are at the crisis end of things right now, that is why we have private equity firms buying them up for a deal to turn around and make profits, but they don’t get healthcare though and only look at investments so best we can hope for is one or more of the investors to get sick and see what some of their actions and advice creates.  I always say there’s nothing like first hand experience. 

We can’t keep spending on software and consulting at this current rate and need some relief there too.  This brings me back to the intent of the post with the Medical Group Management Association’s annual conference keynote from Dr. Bill Crounse of Microsoft and he makes the point very well in the fact that the need for the $150 million dollar systems need to come to a close.  He stated other countries pay far less and have better working Health IT systems.  If you read the link below you can see where I spoke to a professor in Germany who was here in the US and how we compared notes.  We are flat out oversold here on software and have a huge glut. 

Innovation Without Collaboration Is Fouling Up The US Healthcare IT System–We Need Both As We Can’t Stand on Innovation Alone

In time when all are broke that Health IT  bubble will burst when the cost is no longer sustainable and a recent report stated many doctors are getting ready to retire or do something else as when you have human lives to care for and face the Monday morning “software and analytic” quarterbacks, it’s not easy and further more it puts many in a spot of not liking their job at times due to the structure.  That is a sad state of affairs but look around as it’s happening all around you every day.  We don’t seem to be able to let Health IT take a normal and procedural course for improvement without constant distortion, overselling and viral marketing that interrupt the process.  BD 

As a result, 2011 will spark a five-year boom in IT spending. McKinsey, a consultancy, estimates that it may cost American hospitals up to $100,000 per bed to comply with the new rules—most of which will not be reimbursed by government subsidies. Health insurers may spend more to comply with the new rules than they did to sort out the Y2K software bug a decade ago.

Ah, but the reason she thinks cloud computing will be vital is revealing: capital constraints. Health providers and insurers are about to be hit financially as HIT requirements kick in just as the health reforms passed by Congress in 2010 squeeze margins. ObamaCare caps the profits of many insurers (by requiring that they spend 85% of premiums on actual care, rather than on paperwork or padding profits). And the subsidies offered for hospitals to embrace HIT do not come close to covering the likely cost incurred.

How bad could this get? Jonathan Bush, a cousin of George Bush junior and boss of athenahealth, an HIT firm, predicts that 2011 will be bloody: “Hospitals will enter a financial crisis on the scale of the subprime mortgage crisis.” He observes that hospitals are already gobbling up independent doctors’ practices at a record rate. In doing so, they often promise to preserve doctors’ salaries and cover the cost of getting EMRS. As the coming financial squeeze forces hospitals to write off computer systems, the result, he insists, will be “kaboom!”

Business: A very big HIT | The Economist

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As stated in the title here, profits continue to rise on fewer members and this is nothing new as it has been happening all over with insurance carriers making record profits, helped along with their analytical algorithms to score and perhaps cherry pick who they want to cover.  Like other carriers too they are investing in software (more algorithms) to try to predict and change member behaviors to be healthier and perhaps at the same time get more data to analyze. 

Aetna to Acquire Horizon Behavioral Services – Provider of of Employee Assistance Programs for Employers

They also have this company they contract with called Jellyvision with once again a we are seeing, looking for new interactive game like marketing to drive participation.

“Jellyvision is best known for its best-selling interactive entertainment properties such as YOU DON’T KNOW JACK and the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire CD-ROM, so maybe the sequels here might be “who wants to get a health care claim paid” or “You don’t Know Aetna”.    They could always opt to make the plans simpler but that would be too easy I guess to just take care of patient health issues.”

Aetna is also facing the large class action lawsuit in New Jersey related to the “balance due” billing, by using the Ingenix (the subsidiary of United Healthcare data company).  Below is a post from 2009.

Will Aetna Cut More Members in the Future – Questions Arise after Recent Contract Announcements

Aetna has their own PBM which from what I read here, part of it will be combined with sending 800 Aetna employees over to Caremark, and Aetna will keep 1000 of their own.  The overall end result appears to be cost effective with having less employees on the Aetna payroll and using more technology services from Caremark.  With Caremark incorporating 13 drugs into their recently announced “genetic benefit” service, the brings a lab connection into the picture too with selected genetic tests available.  This might be accounting for some of the lay offs and changes too with CVS.

Aetna Commits to CVS With 12 Year Contract for Pharmacy Benefit Management Services To Serve Almost 10 Million Members

CVS Caremark will manage purchasing, inventory management and prescription fulfillment for Aetna’s mail-order and specialty pharmacy operations.  The company is making higher profits with bringing in less revenue and perhaps those premium updates enter into the picture here?  No doubt they are using their algorithmic formulas to generate greater profits.  Just like everyone else though, they have issues with their mathematics and formulas like the post below indicates, as when you have data flying and running through auditing processes, it’s not a perfect world as this consumer found out.  Algorithms though are a good thing too though as it helps researchers find cures too. 

Aetna Cancels Coverage – Patient Never Received Notice of Increase Until 2 Months After It Took Effect

She was finally reinstated after one huge effort here and then it gets better, she found another alternative insurance plan through an association that was cheaper at half the amount, only problem, it is offered by Aetna, same company different marketing arm as Aetna has a focus with employer and large group plans.  BD

Hartford-base Aetna (NYSE: AET) has laid off 10 employees in its Southfield office and about 200 companywide because of declining membership.

Earlier this year, Aetna began phasing out its small business group health insurance market in Michigan. It stopped writing small group policies and will not renew policies after Feb. 1. The decision affects companies with two to 50 employees.

Aetna has about 300,000 customers in Michigan and about 18.5 million members nationally.

Nationally, Aetna’s membership has dropped 500,000 this year, said Fred Laberge, an Aetna spokesman in Hartford.

“We expect a decline of 550,000 to 600,000 in the first quarter of next year due to ongoing uncertainty over the economy and overall employment levels,” Laberge said in a statement.

Despite the membership drops, Aetna announced on Nov. 3 that in the third quarter ended Sept. 30 net income rose to $507.5 million compared with $356.5 million for the same period in 2009.

However, third quarter revenue dropped to $7.8 billion from $8.0 billion in the same quarter of 2009.

Aetna lays off 10 in Southfield office, 200 nationally – Crain’s Detroit Business – Detroit News and Information

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This is an update from MSNBC on the Arizona Budget cuts.  There are 2 cases here to where both patients need transplants but can’t get them due to the laws passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, the Arizona Access plan.  Lucky both men are in fair condition but can’t last that long.  We have seen the breast cancer algorithm and again companies forget that there are people attached to these numbers.  The governor will not call a special session and there are 98 others in the same situation as the people shown in this video.  Below is the post from earlier this week.  Arizona Access had 2 companies provide them with statistics to make these decision on transplants.  See how powerful these algorithms are that compile data are and they don’t contain ethics issues.

Phoenix Man Denied a Liver Transplant Due to Arizona Budget Cuts-Patient Who Had Insurance Coverage Received the Organ

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

If you are a regular reader here, you no doubt know what an algorithm is by now and how the mathematical formulas used have ethics issues.  I have been talking about this for 2 years about how the formulas are being used against those who do not understand the calculations.  Here’s a lawsuit the AMA settled on short payments made by United due to the algorithms created to short pay out of network charges. 

AMA Announced Settlement of Class Action Suit of $350 Million with Ingenix (United Healthcare)

Keith Olbermann talks about the fact that the studies said bone marrow transplants never work and that liver transplants rarely work.  He also brings up that doctors kicked in with some statistics on this that 42% work.  October 1st was the day that all these cuts went into place.  A new roof is being funded for the Coliseum in Phoenix but these folks can’t get their transplants to save their lives.  The governor refuses to use stimulus money to fill the gap on the funding.  What is a life worth one has to ask and is this going to continue?  It’s the power of those algorithms that run on servers 24/7 and the people that allow these mathematical formulas to make those decisions.  Here’s a good book worth reading for all of those that think the formulas are all creating accurate results.  They also create desired results and as you can hear from the video, accurate and desired may not be the same.

“Proofiness–The Dark Side of Mathematical Deception”–Created by Those Algorithms–New Book Coming Out Soon

I can’t wait until technology goes forward to where organs are grown for patients who need them.  There is hope down the road but it’s not there yet for these patients who don’t have that time to wait.  Bladders have been grown and transplanted and recently a small liver was grown, but again this is not to where it can benefit humans yet.  The link below gives information and has a video from Wake Forest on where regenerative medicine is and hopefully when this is developed and available, there will be coverage here to save lives too. 

Scientists At Wake Forest Grow a Mini Liver From Human Cells–Regenerative Medicine

Government on both federal and state levels would be miles ahead to ditch their lobbyists and get some non partisan “Algo Men” so they end up with “accurate” projections and numbers and not those created by lobbyists. 

Keith Olbermann Discussing Health Insurance–Wendell Potter and Michael Moore to Unite On MSNBC Next Week

I am very close this as I have seen it way back when HMO’s would short doctors on their monthly EOBs!  They had floating patients and most did not have the ability to go through manually and find them every month where they were shorted until I came along and built them a simple program (wrote code) so they could balance and check to see what patients were missing so the mathematical algorithms have been used for years to not only cut budgets, but to create profits on Wall Street and now we are at the point to where human lives are on the chopping block and we seem to have lost all ethics for the sake of enforcing these mathematical formulas.  BD 

Countdown with Keith Olbermann Countdown with Keith Olbermann

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Not even a month ago Microsoft bought another 3D chip company that also uses gestures and you can see their video at the link below, and now we have another company working with the Kinect technology, who also worked with Surface, and it really looks hot too.  I like the gesture handwriting.  You can read more at the Evoluce website and at the blog. 

Now moving images around and solving the issue of not having so many clicks seems to be solved.  All one has to do is picture their medical records system on here without needing touch, good way to keep the germs down to a minimum too.  You can see the Kinect camera device on top of the monitor.  BD 

Microsoft Buying 3D-chip Company Canesta–Natural User Interface For PC And Will Take EHRs/PHRs to a New Level Of Interactions

Now I have been working with a Lenovo touch screen portable desktop and I love this one by all means and to have 3D available one day would be wonderful.  I use it as a computer and put a USB TV tuner in it and it does the Media Player thing quite well.  By the way stay tuned here as at some point in time there will be a contest to give one of these away here at the Quack too.

I can write on the surface with the TIP interface too so really no keyboard required for web searching and accessing information too.  BD 

Lenovo ThinkCentre M90z All In One Desktop Discussion

Bridging the gap between the power of Kinect and the versatility of Windows 7 is a remarkable feat. In the following video you can see the project in action as the team demonstrates Windows 7 applications being controlled and interacted with for the first time through Kinect.

Now for the rub- the team is actually leveraging Windows 7 to simultaneously control multiple multi-touch and multi-gesture applications, including those using Flash and Java. For software developers this is a big news.

By tapping into the power of Kinect and Windows 7, developers will be able to program multi-user, multi-gesture applications that will forever change the way we interact with our PCs.

According to Evoluce, a software release is not far off. The planned software is based on the latest Evoluce Multitouch Input Management (MIM) driver which delivers standard interfaces for multi-gesture software development for Windows 7, Java, XML, Flash and TUIO.

Kinect Windows 7 drivers: No-touch multitouch incoming! | Electricpig

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This is another of the video series leading up to a major campaign for all to have digital literacy and in this video he speaks about Twitter and the use of social networks as being part of the literacy campaign.  He mentioned mobile units, using a PC and knowing what broadband is and says we are falling behind.  He mentions those who don’t speak English but there are many who do that need help too.  BD

California Governor Initiates Digital Literacy Campaign By Executive Order

Digital Literacy

YouTube – Digital Literacy Video Series – Part 9 – Michael Peevey

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The revamp is needed they said to support the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) initiative and make it easier to exchange patient data.

The Coast Guard just invested in a system from EPIC to also make use of the VLER program, again everyone needs to be able to exchange information.  What is interesting too is that both EPIC and Vista use the MUMPS back end to store data.  I can understand wanting a web based application as it will save installing a lot of software too and make it easier to access.  The article also says there are some bugs to be fixed as well, so what’s new there and what software does not have bugs today, I can’t any.  <grin>.  BD 

$91 Million Prime Contract Awarded to Support Medical Record Sharing Veterans Affairs Beneficiaries–VLER-Lifetime Virtual Electronic Record Program– VA and DOD

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs plans in 2011 to create prototypes to help bring its more than 30-year-old VistA electronic medical record system into the Internet age.

The prototypes will include a browser-based user interface and a multi-tiered technical architecture to serve as a foundation for VistA modernization, according to VA’s annual Performance and Accountability Report, published Nov. 15. The document is an annual report card of how well an agency carries out its programs and benefits.

The prototypes will be based on the Aviva system, which stands for “A Virtual Implementation of VistA,” The prototype would be Web-enabled, modular in design and capable of easily exchanging health records with other EMRs and organizations using standards built for the nationwide health information network.

VA to develop prototype for VistA overhaul | Healthcare IT News

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Perhaps all those folks who sit around and play Farmville on Facebook might like this but watch out for the catch.  As you can see from the quote below, insurers are hiring strategists from financial service companies so why create a game if there’s not some money to be gained along the line, so now we have “game algorithms” to make it “fun” and “profitable”.  Well one thing they have studied well and that is the fact that we use computers largely to entertain first and educate second, unlike some other countries do.  This article goes on to say that the game can help sell gadgets and help prevent costly hospitalizations.  Hook up your devices the video says and send data <grin>.

ALGORITHMIC MARKETING AND DATA MINING HAS ARRIVED!

“Some insurers have tapped strategists from financial services companies and other industries more accustomed to marketing to consumers.”

Remember this from last year with astro turfing on Facebook?  The virtual rewards have a familiar ring of some sort and being I don’t know what is exactly behind the website it’s hard to tell, but everyone is wanting to feed on the weakness of US citizens and sticking that lure of entertainment out there.

Have You Been Suckered In by FaceBook to Play Games To Support Employer and Insurance Company Reform Initiatives?

This brings me around to a post I made a couple months ago:

Why Is Almost Everyone In Healthcare Marketing Their “Ass” Off

What concerns me too is that marketing is de-valuing some good causes and products out there too.  We get hounded by consumer products, retail stores and now drug stores and healthcare services.  If we keep up at the current rate I feel that it’s going to have a downward trend and drive people nuts to where some of the good ideas and products won’t be able to work.  Seniors are getting it and I will use my 87 year old mom and her examples as she’s target for all of this.

Diabetes Police Telephone Solicitation Patrol–4 Calls Today In 2 Hours Mom Asking If There Was A Diabetic in the House

On the other side of the coin we all may know that pharmacists are on Pay for Performance from United Healthcare so now we get help with an aggression we have not seen there before either.  Some are jumping over the counter to help you whether you want it or not. 

Compliance Police Out In Force for Seniors–Health Plans and Drug Stores Making Phone Calls-Business Models & Caller Behavior Sucks -A Result of Pay for Performance Efforts?

There are a few other marketing items listed here from other insurers that are a bit more professional, like monitoring Twitter to answer questions and there’s nothing wrong with that, but the game thing, hook up devices and send data?  Who gets this data for the prizes of earning rewards?  I’ll stick with World of Warcraft for those few times I desire to delve into a game or so and besides I would rather use my PHR from HealthVault to send data as at least that way I know who has it and where it goes without worrying about someone else marketing me.  BD 

FamScape, a fitness-oriented game being tested online and through a few Best Buy Co. (BBY) electronics stores, comes from an unlikely source, Humana Inc. (HUM), one of the larger U.S. health insurers.

Another major health insurer, Cigna Corp. (CI), has a group of in-house customer-service representatives who monitor Twitter and blogs for mention of the company, with the task of quickly responding to any customer complaint.

And several insurers have developed smartphone applications, including an Aetna Inc. (AET) tool for looking up claims status, a UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) program allowing users to post their fitness progress on Facebook, and a WellPoint Inc. (WLP) app that aims to help its California members shop for healthful groceries.

Health Insurers Aim To Build Consumer Trust With Games, Services – WSJ.com

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As of yesterday I believe we have one more 30 day extension and that will last only until the end of the year.  It is too bad that Medicare doesn’t operate as inexpensively and efficient as Social Security as far as the tax payer dollars are concerned.  Well I guess we are looking at everything else today in healthcare that is outsourced there are issues.  First of all did you know that most Medicare contractors are or are owned by a subsidiary of Health Insurance company?  Everybody knows about Part D, but these folks do all the IT work for regular Medicare so where’s the line where insurance starts and government leaves off?

TMA and AARP on Medicare MD Cuts

We do need a permanent fix and I have been doing this blog for over 3 years and have many posts on this topic, like every time it comes up for a fix.  You look at some of the contracts that are given and one has to scratch their head.  There’s a lot of money made off of Medicare by Health insurance companies too.  The AMA has their campaign going as well.  Six months ago the Senate almost voted the extension down, well they did but then came back to the table for the last 6 month extension. 

AMA Begins Campaign to Urge Congress to Stop Scheduled Physician Medicare Cuts

You can read more about Medicare contractors at the link below and again try to figure out where the insurance carriers leave off and where government IT structures begin, it’s confusing with things one could say were conflicts of interest so to get a real single pay system, I don’t know how it would be done other than to pull a “Roosevelt” and take it over, anyone else have any ideas? 

Medicare Contractor Gets Deal to Monitor Physician Incentive Payments–Same Folks Earlier This Week Admonished For Not Doing Enough for Fraud Prevention?

Here’s the press release from the TMA and AAPR below and don’t forget this includes Tri-Care too. I may not be at the age yet, but I have a mother and I’m sure most of us have family and friends who would be impacted. 

In the news today, the standard CMS recommendation was sent as until the law is changed, they do that every time and it’s amazing how many today on Twitter were shocked by this, it’s the procedure and the algorithms put in place which occur unless the law is changed and the program is permanently funded.  We are living with a mistake made over 10 years ago with a bad plan and it needs a permanent fix.  BD 

Press Release:

FORT WORTH – Today, the nation’s largest state medical society and one of the largest patient-advocacy groups united to stop the Medicare Meltdown. This is the first time these two immense patient-advocacy groups have joined forces to ensure Texas’ 3 million Medicare patients receive the care promised by the U.S. government.

Texas Medical Association (TMA) physicians, AARP representatives, and more than 30 patients gathered at the Trinity Terrace Retirement Community in Fort Worth, Texas, and called on Congress to fix the crisis.

Texas patients picked up their phones and asked their U.S. senators and representatives to stop a 23-percent cut to their physicians’ Medicare payments scheduled to go into effect Dec. 1 [video]. The cut grows even larger after the New Year.

“I can’t believe we are here again, for the fifth time this year, asking Congress to stop another drastic cut to physician payments,” said TMA President Susan Rudd Bailey, MD.

The new health care law did not fix a 10-year problem plaguing Medicare, the government’s largest health care program. Medicare uses a flawed formula to pay physicians for taking care of seniors, people with disabilities, and military families who rely on TRICARE. TMA’s Medicare Meltdown video explains the situation.

“We need to fix the flawed physician payment system,” said AARP Texas State President Ollie Besteiro, “so seniors can have the peace of mind that comes from knowing they have a doctor they can count on. It’s time for Congress to stop pointing fingers and work across the aisle to find a common-sense solution that won’t drive doctors out of Medicare.”

“Each time Congress plays this game of chicken, the cut to physicians grows deeper, and fear among our patients and physicians increases,” added Dr. Bailey. “Patients fear losing their physicians. Doctors worry about how they can keep their doors open and continue to see Medicare patients. It’s a heart-wrenching situation all around.”

As a result of the constant uncertainty and fear of a drastic pay cut, more physicians are not accepting NEW Medicare and TRICARE patients. Many physicians have had to lay off staff, and defer investment in new medical equipment, health information technology, and other innovations that improve patient care and save lives.

Medicare patients from Fort Worth and Dallas also shared their fears about the Medicare Meltdown at today’s telephone rally.

“Cutting Medicare is not the answer. It’d be wrong. I know the country is broke, I know that’s true; but cutting Medicare is not the answer,” said Medicare patient Dolph Compere of Fort Worth. “A cut in Medicare is going to be a disaster as far as I’m concerned.”

“That’s why this ongoing problem with Medicare is so downright frustrating and fatiguing,” said Dr. Bailey. “Our patients deserve better. They deserve a health care system they can rely on when they get sick.”

TMA physicians and AARP Medicare patients are asking patients across Texas to call Congress at (202) 224-3121, urging them to act now to stop the cut [video].

TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing nearly 45,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 120 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan social welfare organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice, and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world’s largest-circulation magazine with over 35.1 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP’s millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Two Largest Patient-Advocacy Groups Unite to Save Medicare

By FunMelaMasti.com

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