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Payment vs. Reimbursement
◗ A longstanding crusade of mine is to convince others to abandon the
use of the word "reimburse" (in any of its forms) when the word
"payment" is really what is meant.
"Reimburse" carries the connotation of subjectivity, meaning that
whatever service has been provided, the value is up to the discretion
of the party responsible for paying for that service. As an anesthesiologist, a professional, I want to be paid for the medical services I
provide to patients. What I am paid (or not paid) may depend on the
payor — Medicare, Medicaid, insurers — and the payment for an
individual service may be arrived at through negotiation or by government fiat. Why reimburse is used interchangeably with payment
I don't know, but I see no reason that it has to continue.
James P. McMichael, MD
Austin, Texas
jmcmtx1@gmail.com
Greed Fuels Hospital-ASC Mergers
◗ You can be sure that the driving force behind the majority of hospi-
tal-ASC mergers is to benefit from the higher payment rates HOPDs
receive for hosting the same procedures. The fix is to eliminate the
discrepancy between the 2 sites of service. Good to see Health and
Human Services get things right for a change.
Marion R. McMillan, MD
Synergy Spine Center
Seneca, S.C.
mrmmd3@gmail.com
D E C E M B E R 2012 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
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