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- Apr 16, 2004
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ASTRO has been pushing very hard on the legislative front to 'close the self-referral loophole.' They assured us that this was only to curb urorads and not to prevent Rad Oncs from owning their own equipment. Some have argued that this is a slippery slope argument and legislators will simply assume that physicians should not own any medical equipment due to the danger of 'over-utilization' which would fit nicely with the model of all doctors being employed and safely under the boot heel of bureaucrats.
Will guess what? It's starting to happen.
Case in point: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140SB1215
This is a bill proposed in the CA legislature that would essentially bar any physicians from owning (or profiting from or using) their own imaging equipment and radiation equipment.
YAY, the policy makers cry we are reducing costs! No, not really. When I see a treat/scan a patient at one of my centers it is at a lower rate (60-80%) then what the hospitals bill AND the patient doesn't have to drive 30 miles more every time they need an MRI or receive 2.0 Gy of radiation.
So who really makes off like bandits? Hospitals and administrators - this is a dream come true for them.
Will guess what? It's starting to happen.
Case in point: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140SB1215
This is a bill proposed in the CA legislature that would essentially bar any physicians from owning (or profiting from or using) their own imaging equipment and radiation equipment.
YAY, the policy makers cry we are reducing costs! No, not really. When I see a treat/scan a patient at one of my centers it is at a lower rate (60-80%) then what the hospitals bill AND the patient doesn't have to drive 30 miles more every time they need an MRI or receive 2.0 Gy of radiation.
So who really makes off like bandits? Hospitals and administrators - this is a dream come true for them.
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