HealthBlawg

David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS
    • Email
  • About
  • Archives
  • Podcast
  • Press
  • Awards/Reviews
  • HIPAA
  • HCSM

Health reform now or later — What's a physician to do?

January 24, 2010

A few weeks ago, I suggested that — love it or hate it — physicians need to prepare themselves for the likely advent of health reform by getting a handle on internal costs and processes, and by strategically organizing into stronger bodies able to negotiate more effectively with payors across a range of new approaches to payment for health care services.  While the landscape has changed dramatically in the past week, my advice still holds.  Some physicians may believe that reform in any form similar to the bills that are now derailed must be stopped in its tracks, and that entertaining any notion of negotiating with payors under a new regime is insane.  In fact, one commented on my earlier post, saying: "I feel like a Pole with Molotov on one side and Ribbentrop on the other, a map of Poland on the table, and this lawyer counseling me to 'get a seat at the table.' "  

Strong words, huh?

So now here we are, with Ted Kennedy's former seat soon to be occupied by Scott Brown, the self-proclaimed 41st vote against health reform in its present incarnation … likely voted in (in Alice In Wonderland fashion) because folks in Massachusetts thought the health reform bills weren't progressive enough.

It seems clear that no matter what, there will be significant change to the landscape in the relatively near future: it could be during the current Congress, or it could be that nothing happens this year or next, we slide closer to the brink and have to face a more draconian solution five or ten years down the road. 

In any event, my earlier advice to physicians stands: better to get organized sooner rather than later — before you're under the gun.

David Harlow
The Harlow Group LLC
Health Care Law and Consulting

Filed Under: Health care policy, Health Law, Health Reform, Physicians

you might also like:

  1. A Massachusetts health reform reading list from RWJF VP David Colby; Massachusetts payment system reform recommendations up next

  2. Holy Mackarel: Scott Brown, Health Reform Redux and What Can (Should) Happen Next

  3. Chronic disease prevention and management: How the health reform bills measure up, and how medical home models can help

« Holy Mackarel: Scott Brown, Health Reform Redux and What Can (Should) Happen Next
Medical Apologies: Do right and do well »

Comments

  1. Janice Suchyta says

    January 29, 2010 at 12:38 pm

    I couldn’t agree more. Change in health care law is coming and it is here now in bits and pieces. Look at the changes in the False Claims Act and whistleblower provisions. I practice in regulatory compliance for small providers and I tell my clients: get ready now, tomorrow’s too late.

Follow me on Twitter

David Harlow 💉😷 Follow 42,910 17,570

Mastodon @healthblawg@c.im #HealthCare #MedDevice #Compliance #Privacy @MyOmnipod #HIPAA #digitalhealth #HarlowOnHC #pinksocks Tweets are tweets No more no less

healthblawg
healthblawg avatar; David Harlow 💉😷 @healthblawg ·
5h 1620535759902998528

The Harlow #Healthcare #Innovation Daily #digitalhealth #hcldr #HarlowOnHC #digitalhealth #healthtech

Image for twitter card

Google Research and DeepMind develop AI medical chatbot

digitalhealth.net A new AI-powered medical-specific chatbot developed by Google and DeepMind has shown some potential for clinical applications.

paper.li

Reply on Twitter 1620535759902998528 Retweet on Twitter 1620535759902998528 0 Like on Twitter 1620535759902998528 0 Twitter 1620535759902998528
healthblawg avatar; David Harlow 💉😷 @healthblawg ·
6h 1620524933863378944

ICYMI> Paul Schrimpf, at Prophet Consulting, Driving Health Care Transformation — Harlow on Healthcare https://healthblawg.com/2022/12/paul-schrimpf-prophet-consulting.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ReviveOldPost #digitalhealth #hcldr #hitsm

Image for the Tweet beginning: ICYMI>  Paul Schrimpf, at Twitter feed image.
Reply on Twitter 1620524933863378944 Retweet on Twitter 1620524933863378944 0 Like on Twitter 1620524933863378944 0 Twitter 1620524933863378944
healthblawg avatar; David Harlow 💉😷 @healthblawg ·
11h 1620445622955278337

Moonshots — StartUp Health https://paper.li/healthblawg/1369855999?read=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.startuphealth.com%2Fmoonshots #hcldr

Reply on Twitter 1620445622955278337 Retweet on Twitter 1620445622955278337 0 Like on Twitter 1620445622955278337 0 Twitter 1620445622955278337
Load More
Follow me on Mastodon

HIPAAtools

Hipaatools

The HIPAA Compliance Toolkit

The Walking Gallery

The Walking Gallery

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Categories
  • Archives
  • Podcast Interviews
  • HIPAAtools
  • HIPAA Compliance
  • Health Care Social Media
  • Speaking
  • In the Press
  • Blogroll

David Harlow

David Harlow

HealthcareNOW Radio

Connect with David

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Email
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Book Me: Speaking
  • About
  • The Harlow Group LLC
Copyright © 2006–2023
HealthBlawg is a publication of The Harlow Group LLC. See Copyright notice and disclaimer.
Fair use with attribution and a link is encouraged. Click for more on David Harlow.
[footer_backtotop text="Back to top" href="#"]