Laura Dyrda: 10 Ways Healthcare Reform Impacts Private Practice Physicians

1. Private physicians are losing patients- Insurance policy cancellations or their practice could no longer accept the patient's insurance plans
2. The number of physicians in ACOs has grown- Hospitals and health systems are the leading sponsors of ACOs
3. Physicians who participate in ACOs work longer days- But, they also say their income hasn't changed
4. ACO physicians have more help- Nurse practitioners, physician assistants and foreign medical graduates are often available
5. The individual mandate brought new patients- Unfortunately, they are often sicker and require more hands-on treatment
6. Patients put off care, especially elective surgery- This can be caused by higher deductible health insurance plans
7. Physician practices report reimbursement and collection challenges- 7% reporting the most prevalent effect of the ACA rollout is reimbursement decline and more denials
8. Private physicians are more likely to own a single specialty practice- 17% say they own a solo practice
9. ACO-participating physicians are more likely to have a favorable outlook in 2014 and encourage a younger person to do the same
10. Physicians not involved in ACOs are more likely to say their practice is not at full capacity and that their income has decreased over the past year

Source: Becker's Spine Review
Source URL: http://www.beckersspine.com/orthopedic-spine-practices-impro...

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