Ahead of the presidential election in November, physicians in leadership positions are watching a number of issues.
Three physician owners shared their concerns with Becker's.
If you are a physician leader and are interested in sharing your election concerns with Becker's, reach out to Francesca Mathewes at fmathewes@beckershealthcare.com by 5 p.m. on Aug. 30.
Editor's note: These responses were edited lightly for clarity and length.
Angelo Cuzalina, MD. CEO of Tulsa (Okla.) Surgical Arts: Many issues, but related to being an owner [are] the tax issues that will likely be very different from individual to corporations and even to our 401ks and retirement accounts as well. Death taxes etc., since I am nearing retirement age in the next decade.
Adam Hauser, MD. Medical Director of Crozer-Keystone Surgery Center at Brinton Lake (Concordville, Pa.): As a physician owner, there [are] a myriad of issues. We are already seeing a shift toward greater Medicare participation with an aging demographic. The support for physicians to participate in medicare is becoming increasingly an issue. We service many surgery centers. The support for outpatient ASCs versus hospitals (in terms of payment for CPT facility codes) is a major issue these days, but I am not hearing much about it.
James Whiteside, MD. Professor at Brody School of Medicine at Eastern Carolina University and Chief of Service, Eastern Carolina University Health (Greenville, N.C.): I’m not sure physicians in leadership do or should possess different priorities relative to the upcoming election compared to other citizens. The border crisis is a top priority for everyone and for healthcare the influx of more people blending with inevitable coexisting social determinants of health is a first-hand issue for physicians and health systems. Inflation, while better, led to higher prices and that is cutting into the wages of everyone leaving less for other needs including healthcare. Physician work is less rewarding to some due to both factors blending with the usual issues (e.g., EMR, life balance, etc.) leading many to consider locum’s work especially since this work has been made so easy to do with more jobs, higher pay and less responsibilities. At the same time, health care overall is now paying more for less work and often middling outcomes.
Cam Patterson, M.D., Chancellor of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and CEO of UAMS Health: Arkansas is a very rural state and access to care is a huge issue that keeps me awake at night. Many parts of our state don’t have primary care providers and some smaller hospitals have stopped delivering babies, having a chilling effect on already poor maternal health. As the state’s only academic medical center, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) tries to address these problems through such tools as telemedicine, rural clinics, traveling mobile health units and by creating more residency slots through partnerships with other health care providers. However, our efforts are hamstrung by CMS caps on graduate medical education funding and the lowest payer reimbursement rates in the country. We are grateful to supporters like U.S. Sen. John Boozman who has been a champion for better access, better maternal health and more graduate medical education funding. We know that physicians are more likely to practice in the state or region where they do their residencies. We just need the opportunity to get them here
James Mahoney, Senior Vice President of Healtcare Practice at Marsh (Boston): In speaking with physician leaders only two items have come up as concerns regarding the candidates and parties in the upcoming election:
1. Maternal health and abortion restrictions
2. Repeal of the Affordable Care Act