NYT: U.S. Plans a Stealth Survey on Access to Doctors

[steelmania75]

WASHINGTON — Alarmed by a shortage of primary care doctors, Obama administration officials are recruiting a team of “mystery shoppers” to pose as patients, call doctors’ offices and request appointments to see how difficult it is for people to get care when they need it.

The administration says the survey will address a “critical public policy problem”: the increasing shortage of primary care doctors, including specialists in internal medicine and family practice. It will also try to discover whether doctors are accepting patients with private insurance while turning away those in government health programs that pay lower reimbursement rates.

Federal officials predict that more than 30 million Americans will gain coverage under the health care law passed last year. “These newly insured Americans will need to seek out new primary care physicians, further exacerbating the already growing problem of P.C.P. shortages in the United States,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in a description of the project that it submitted to the White House.

Plans for the survey have riled many doctors because the secret shoppers will not identify themselves as working for the government.

Read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/health/policy/27docs.html?_r=1&hp

What do you guys think this could mean?

[SharonAnn]

1. It will mean we can confirm whether or not doctors want to get paid more.

[RKP5637]

2. Well if they say they have Medicare they may go looking and looking for drs. n/t

[silverweb]

3. Good.

It's very useful, important, and objective information gathering.

If the "secret shoppers" were to say they were working for the government, responses from the doctors' offices would be contaminated by that knowledge.

[AlabamaLibrul]

4. Isn't the whole point of the "secret" part not identifying that you work for whomever? n/t

[Gormy Cuss]

5. Good idea,but I hope that it's going to be put out to bid.

It's important to have an independent Federal contractor do this work using accepted methods for such a data collection, else those who oppose the administration will be able to claim bias quite easily.

I can't get beyond the pay wall so I don't know if this is discussed.

[applegrove]

6. I hope doctor's offices across the US smarten up and take people on government assisted health

care. I hope the announcement of this scares the pants of them.

[SmileyRose]

7. 8 wk wait for primary care - with "cadillac" insurance.

The one bright spot in my financial life is that I am fortunate enough to belong to a GOOD HMO. I've heard they stink elsewhere, but here in Atlanta they have been fantastic.

I called for a primary care appt and the soonest is end of August. That said, if I thought it was something that can't wait that long they run after hours clinics, I can email the doctor, or I can take whichever primary care doctor is available next. I DO have access to medical care - and believe me I do not take that lightly.

[Shagbark Hickory]

8. I think they will find what all the rest of us already know, it's hard to get an appointment even if

you have insurance or money, with a doctor that isn't fresh out of med school.