ergo, probably lower cost in the end. Every year there seems to be a scramble to properly paid the doctors.

The article you referenced makes mention of the "new payment system" I referenced in the OP:

From the link:

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Merit-based Incentive Payment (MIP) system under which eligible professionals (including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists) shall receive annual payment increases or decreases based on their performance.

Pay by performance but instead of tests it will be health of the patient. Wonder if doctors will turn away patients if they don't improve blood work numbers and weight numbers. Not sure if I like this but 92 senators voted for it which is unusual.

about "making sure I am okay". It seems like every week, minimum, I get a recorded message from my PCP's office, telling me I can go there instead of the emergency room - heh, I went during the week to get a glass splinter dug out of my heel, and they said oh noes we do not do "foot surgery", but we can make you an appointment with a podiatrist! So yeah, not going there for an emergency. And I get reminders about mammograms and shots. A lot.

And then there is the big workbook Humana wants me to fill out and mail in, unless I want to go online and give them an awful lot of information. And my food coupons for Walmart. Not going there. And my PCP wants me online with all my stuff. These are the people who lost a briefcase full of patient info out of an unlocked car last year. Right. If they want to know what I am doing, they can ask the NSA or Google for my internet stuff, just like the police department can!

Maybe they get paid per recorded message and data collection. Humana would also like to send someone to go through my house and check for danger. I can see that in one way, but in a bigger way it is invasive and a little creepy. Do I have to notify them if I rearrange my furniture? Is limiting liability in advance something to increase profits later? Can they refuse to pay if I slip and fall? They can look at my back yard using Zillow or Google Earth, though.

Wonder if this new way of paying will result in more care or less care, since they would get paid whether I go and see them, or not.

They leave you alone. Don't have to declare a PCP. Not in the system if you don't use it. Never went to that "Welcome to Medicare Visit" . Dumb waste of time and money. No annual Wellness Visit, or any other of the freebies preventitive care. Less they know, less they will bother you. The only questionnaire I ever filled out was to sign up for Medicare. Nothing on that about your health, only your insurance coverage and economic status.

Think I have created that MyMedicare.gov? No way.

To bill Medicare patients for their overall care, not individual office visits.

Hope that explains it for you.



Sorry about that, I couldn't resist it.

To tell you the truth, I spent too much time in DU and not enough checking the C-spans. This passed yesterday, and I have not a clue but I did hear something about doctor's wages, something, but what I don't know.

I did by accident catch the Corker/Cardin hearing (repeat) and it was worthwhile. Was so glad to watch it. They get along well together, and Corker is more accommodating than the geeks in the House who run things there. The kumbayha obvious at the hearing caused Obama to take back his veto threat because he knew he wouldn't have the 2/3 majority to back him up.. this was good only in that Iran has complained about our government's squabbling.

No doubt the medicare hearing will be repeated this weekend. DU talks about this stuff but only in barebones and sarcasm...

to what's in it.