Industry leaders are painting the picture of a bright future for orthopedic surgeons in their role of patient care. However, the prediction also envisages self-reliant and working environmental changes for you. You can look forward to increased number of patients from the elderly population and also from people in general who want to stay healthy and functional regardless of their age. Make way though for challenges and changes that will test your mettle for survival.
Government Reimbursement
An increased number of patients will be challenging for you from a financial standpoint, and government financing such as Medicare will play a great part with the advent of universal health care when and if that change becomes a reality. There is still no guaranty that universal health care will ever materialize. Short of settling the much talked-about universal health care plan, Medicare still remains the driving force of reimbursement for you and your practice.
What About Private Insurance?
Private insurance is incapable of satisfying the public's health care needs since its health care role is based on profit. So you are left with Medicare reimbursement as your only viable reimbursement asset. Medicare and state-covered reimbursement programs continue to be a major source of reimbursement for your practice. Self-reliant financing methods within your industry is not equipped to maintain a successful practice, and you'll have to rely on Medicare reimbursement as your major source of reimbursement right now.
Technological Challenges And Outpatient Services
You will face technological changes and associated challenges. However, you must adjust and concentrate on increasing your outpatient procedures, which is currently seen as the most productive way of effectively serving your customers while generating reimbursement for your practice at the same time. Outpatient services are trending, and surgeons like you are performing a number of procedures with the use of outpatient settings. Arthroscopy and other surgical procedures are now being executed as outpatient cases. There is the feeling that one day you could even begin performing joint replacements, spine procedures and other procedures as outpatient services too.
A Battle For Income May Occur
In the future, you may find yourself battling for income with the very hospital you've used when performing inpatient services. That is a possibility since hospitals are experiencing dwindling inpatient services. Hospitals may want to benefit from ancillary services that your practice benefits from. This situation may become painful, and you may have to decide whether to remain in your practice or join powerful hospitals as employees.
Contact local professionals, such as those from Orthopaedic Associates Of Rochester, for further assistance.
Share17 June 2016
My name is Katie Langer. For a long time, I was bed ridden and I felt like I had no control over my life. I simply went along with what was instructed by my doctor and I didn't ask questions. It wasn't that my doctor wasn't willing to work with me, but I preferred to simply not think about the illness I was suffering from. I didn't realize that some of the symptoms I was suffering from were side effects of my medication and were not normal. After communicating more with my doctor, I was able to alleviate my symptoms. Since then, I've taken an interest in patient-doctor relationships and how to improve them.
