Recently I was asked to become a board member for the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in the role of chair of the section of nutrition. My role at this meeting was limited. I was impressed by the commitment of the participants and by the range of activities that the AAP chapter was working on –all in the efforts of improving the health of children in Georgia.
I only took a few notes but here are some of the details. Dr. Evelyn Johnson (President) provided the president’s report and an overview of the chapter activities.
Dr. Anu Sheth provided an update on the Medicaid Task Force. This issue was discussed in some detail. The issue at stake is the low reimbursement for office visits for children with Medicaid coverage; the rate has not changed in 13 years with one notable exception. In 2013-2014, the federal government provided a one-time boost in the rates of Medicaid reimbursement with the role out of the ACA (Obamacare) to encourage availability of primary care physicians to see the new enrollees. There is preliminary evidence that this boost did improve access to care.
According to a recent study (NEJM 2015; January 21, 2015DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsa1413299), “Our study provides early evidence that increased Medicaid reimbursement to primary care providers, as mandated in the ACA, was associated with improved appointment availability for Medicaid enrollees among participating providers without generating longer waiting times.”
Since 43.2% of all children in Georgia receive their health insurance through Medicaid this is a big issue. It is also directly related to another topic of provider access. 61 counties in Georgia have a deficit of needed pediatricians and 23 counties have no pediatrician at all. Currently, Medicaid rates to physician practices are only about 75% of Medicare rates and compared to commercial insurance plans, they pay only half.
Based on these considerations, the AAP is urging its members to contact their state legislators, particularly those more involved in the budget decision-making process. While bumping Medicaid rates in the face of other budget constraints may be difficult, default limiting of access results in higher costs through emergency room visits and complications.
Georgia Politicians with Greatest Impact on Healthcare Decisions
Rural communities are more affected by access issues than urban counties. Dr. Angela Highbaugh-Battle provided an update on the Governor’s Rural Hospital Task Force. There have been a number of hospital closures and more appear to be imminent. Communities that are losing hospitals are losing important jobs, access to timely care, and will have difficulty attracting new businesses.
Another related topic was the issue of ‘retail-clinic’ healthcare. While the ease of access is quite helpful for families, there are numerous concerns about the quality of care. Several clinicians described their efforts to provide alternatives including extended hours in their practices and weekend hours as well.
Here’s a related article: “Retail clinics are in, traditional primary care practices are out”
One fascinating aspect about the discussion of retail clinics was its juxtaposition with efforts to improve the process of remaining board-certified (See related blog: Resistance to Maintenance of Certification | gutsandgrowth). Given the increasing use of retail-clinics and midlevel providers, several clinicians emphasized that board-approval is not a strong consideration for families seeking healthcare. The fact that the board approval process is not tied to a broad effort to show its impact on patient care and/or to market the efforts of pediatricians has led to widespread dissatisfaction.
Take-home message: The issue of adequate access to primary care physicians along with high quality care is important for everyone. Make your voice heard!
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