U.S. Health Spending Projected To Grow at 5.8 Percent Annually: Pros and Cons

The recent extrapolation by the economists in the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – which has projected all healthcare spending in the United States to be at an annual average rate of 5.8 percent for the period 2010 through 2020, and at 19.8 percent of GDP by 2020 – should be cause for celebration as well as challenge for all stakeholders: physicians, patients, insurance carriers, and professional medical...

Impact of Federal Debt Ceiling on Medicare Payments to Physicians

Debt ceiling on Federal Debt is a perennial topic for debate in the US healthcare scenario. Debt ceiling or Debt limit is the brink to which U.S. Federal Government can raise debts to fund its budgetary allocation. Although there have been instances in the past that allowed for raising debts well over the statutory limit, yet the present scenario is such that it has put a question mark over the Federal Government’s ability to borrow. Consequently,...

Optimizing Revenue By PQRS Participation

PQRS, the Medicare program paid out over 234 million US dollars in 2009 to medical professionals who subscribed to the program. However, a large segment of professionals failed to qualify, were just not aware, or lacked the inclination to take part. Out of over one million medical professionals deemed eligible to take part in the PQRS, only 210,000 subscribed in 2009. Out of the 210,000 that participated, 120,000 earned bonuses averaging 2000 US...

Medicalbillersandcoders.com Ensure Viable Practice for Pediatric Practitioners in High Density Areas

Wilmington, 12th September, 2011 : At $183,000 a year, the pediatricians earn the lowest pay of all physicians except Primary Care physicians, according to the medical search and consulting firm Merritt Hawkins & Associates’ 2011 Review of Physician Recruiting Incentives. The nationally low reimbursement rates for the pediatric specialty have been further aggravated by the rising malpractice rates even when there is no outstanding claim, as...