Statement attributable to:
Lori Heim, MD
President
American Academy of Family Physicians
“Elderly and disabled Americans have scored a victory with the House passage of the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act (HR 3961).
“This legislation will help create stability within the Medicare physician payment system and reduce physicians’ annual uncertainty of whether their medical practices can afford to continue accepting Medicare beneficiaries.
“By replacing the flawed formula on which Medicare physician payment is now based with a system that more appropriately pays for patient evaluation and management services, HR 3961 promotes comprehensive, coordinated care that’s been shown to improve patients’ health and help rein in costs.
“This legislation builds a good foundation on which comprehensive, meaningful and sustainable health care reform can be built and assures Medicare patients that they will get the care they need, when they need it, from the most appropriate physician.”
Editor’s note: To arrange an interview with Lori Heim, MD, contact Leslie Champlin at 800-274-2237, Ext. 5224, or lchampli@aafp.org.
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Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents more than 94,600 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.
Nearly one in four of all office visits are made to family physicians. That is 208 million office visits each year - nearly 83 million more than the next largest medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty.
In the increasingly fragmented world of health care where many medical specialties limit their practice to a particular organ, disease, age or sex, family physicians are dedicated to treating the whole person across the full spectrum of ages. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care.
To learn more about the American Academy of Family Physicians and about the specialty of family medicine, please visit aafp.org.
For more information about the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care and downloadable multi-media on family medicine and health care, visit the AAFP Media Center.
For more information about health care, health conditions, and wellness, please visit familydoctor.org.
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