In the meantime, Dr. Laing continues, rheumatologists have little choice but to wait.
“It’s very stressful,” he adds. “It’s very difficult to run a clinical operation and provide expert medical care while you’re worried whether or not the business foundation of your practice is viable.”
Medicare cuts would affect the bottom line, says Jones, “especially for solo practitioners—that’s a 27% cut to their revenue stream.”
Jones notes that the ACR continues to monitor Congressional discussion on the topic as it advocates for a permanent solution to the SGR formula. She said the issue of a lame-duck Congress is a wild card in how much progress will be made.
“Obviously, the ACR is opposed to these short-term, band-aid fixes,” she adds. “They just increase the cost of the long-term repeal. It’s time to get together, get a proposal, and fix this thing.”
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.