Kevin Spradlin
Cumberland Times-News
November 02, 2008 11:09 pm
—
CUMBERLAND — It’s that time of year again. People are making lists of the things they want and need and hoping that, come December, someone is listening.
But it’s not Old Saint Nick whose attention health officials are trying to attract. Dr. Tom Chappell and Dr. Maureen Conroy, president of the Allegany County Medical Society, will address the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee on Thursday to get any assistance its members can provide in addressing the physician shortage in Western Maryland.
Chappell, of the Braddock Medical Group, said it’s an issue that could impact each of the dozen or so members in attendance. Committee member Barry Ronan, president and CEO of Western Maryland Health System, said he sees the impact of the shortage already.
Ronan said patients contact him on a regular basis, upset they were treated by a physician’s assistant or nurse instead of a doctor. Ronan said it’s an occurrence that will happen more often, not less, unless a number of things are done to help physician recruitment and retention.
“It’s the future,” Ronan said. “You’re going to see these types of changes happening.”
Ronan said the issue is causing new physicians to practice “boutique medicine,” specializing in areas where there is a set fee and thus guaranteeing doctors a return on their investment.
Chappell and Conroy presented the Maryland State Medical Society a shorter version of the issue originally given at a forum in July. The study highlighted the need for Maryland’s rural areas to recruit primary care physicians and specialists.
Conroy said malpractice insurance liability costs for Maryland doctors has in-creased almost annually. Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements, meanwhile, aren’t on par with that expense and other administrative costs. In addition, Maryland patients can sue a doctor without limitations unlike locations such as Texas, where noneconomic losses are capped at $250,000.
She’s hoping state lawmakers will offer some sort of tort reform in the legislative session in January. District 1 delegation members will conduct prelegislative meetings throughout December.
Conroy said many times a lawmaker will tell her he’s on board when discussing the issues face-to-face. But those conversations often fail to result in new legislation. Conroy said she wants to “call them to task” and have them address the issues.
Chappell said recruiting new doctors to Western Maryland isn’t an issue of insufficient salaries. Those salaries are simply insufficient when compared to other areas, such as Northern Virginia. Here, doctors are paid less while having the same amount of medical school debt.
Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.