How do Medicare and Medicaid budget cuts affect pathologists?

[PathNeuroIMorFM]

With Dr. Oz and RFK overseeing Medicare/Medicaid and the department of HHS, respectively, it seems likely that a lot of patients will be removed from Medicare and/or moved to Medicare Advantage with significant cuts to their budgets.

What effects are predicted for this to have on the job market, pay, and other factors for academic and private practice pathologists?

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[WEBB PINKERTON]

Project 2025 had some interesting thoughts on lab testing



Expand the scope of practice of low-complexity and moderate- complexity clinical laboratories. During the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing laboratories greater regulatory flexibility regarding CLIA requirements increased access to testing. However, the need for regulatory flexibility is not limited to emergency situations. Ongoing innovations in medical care will continue to drive demand for clinical testing and new tests. One way that increasing demand for other medical services has been accommodated is by revising restrictions on scope of practice to enable providers to practice at the so-called top of their license. CMS should similarly revise CLIA rules regarding scope of practice for clinical laboratories and testing personnel.42 l Create CLIA-certification-equivalent pathways for non-clinical laboratories and researchers. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed that the U.S. needs to leverage the expertise of non-clinical laboratories and researchers in order to bolster clinical testing capacity. To accomplish this,p. 503— 471 — 2025 Presidential Transition Project CMS should create pathways for granting non-clinical laboratories and their testing personnel CLIA certification equivalency. 471 — 2025 Presidential Transition Project CMS should create pathways for granting non-clinical laboratories and their testing personnel CLIA certification equivalency. Non-clinical researchers already demonstrate their technical expertise through online training and certification programs. CMS should build on that existing framework so that those laboratories and personnel can similarly demonstrate their clinical testing capabilities.43 LIFE, CONSCIENCE, AND BODILY INTEGRITY l Prohibit abortion travel funding. should build on that existing framework so that those laboratories and personnel can similarly demonstrate their clinical testing capabilities.43

 

[Guest8]

Project 2025 had some interesting thoughts on lab testing



Expand the scope of practice of low-complexity and moderate- complexity clinical laboratories. During the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing laboratories greater regulatory flexibility regarding CLIA requirements increased access to testing. However, the need for regulatory flexibility is not limited to emergency situations. Ongoing innovations in medical care will continue to drive demand for clinical testing and new tests. One way that increasing demand for other medical services has been accommodated is by revising restrictions on scope of practice to enable providers to practice at the so-called top of their license. CMS should similarly revise CLIA rules regarding scope of practice for clinical laboratories and testing personnel.42 l Create CLIA-certification-equivalent pathways for non-clinical laboratories and researchers. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed that the U.S. needs to leverage the expertise of non-clinical laboratories and researchers in order to bolster clinical testing capacity. To accomplish this,p. 503— 471 — 2025 Presidential Transition Project CMS should create pathways for granting non-clinical laboratories and their testing personnel CLIA certification equivalency. 471 — 2025 Presidential Transition Project CMS should create pathways for granting non-clinical laboratories and their testing personnel CLIA certification equivalency. Non-clinical researchers already demonstrate their technical expertise through online training and certification programs. CMS should build on that existing framework so that those laboratories and personnel can similarly demonstrate their clinical testing capabilities.43 LIFE, CONSCIENCE, AND BODILY INTEGRITY l Prohibit abortion travel funding. should build on that existing framework so that those laboratories and personnel can similarly demonstrate their clinical testing capabilities.43

"43 LIFE, CONSCIENCE, AND BODILY INTEGRITY l Prohibit abortion travel funding."

What the hell does this have to do with lab testing exactly?

 

[KeratinPearls]

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13 numbers on plummeting physician pay​

Patsy Newitt - 23 hours ago


Concerns among physicians about the future of healthcare have intensified in the last several years as payers continue to cut reimbursements.

"To put it bluntly, Medicare plans to pay us less while costs go up," American Medical Association President Bruce Scott, MD, said in a statement. "You don't have to be an economist to know that is an unsustainable trend, though one that has been going on for decades. For physician practices operating on small margins already, this means it is harder to acquire new equipment, harder to retain staff, harder to take on new Medicare patients, and harder to keep the doors open, particularly in rural and underserved areas."

Here are 13 numbers highlighting the continued decline of physician pay:

2.83%. The physician pay cut CMS finalized on Nov. 1 in its 2025 Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system and ASC payment system.

1.25%. The physician pay cut CMS finalized in its 2024 Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system — a 3.4% decrease from 2023.

Up to 9%. The additional cut physicians could have faced in 2024 due to the cost-performance category of the merit-based incentive payment system.

5. The number of consecutive years CMS has cut physician reimbursements.

13. The number of specialties that saw year-over-year pay increases of 3.4% or less. According to May 12 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index, a common inflation metric, increased 3.4% in 2024. This means that 12 specialties, all with pay increases of 2%, according to Medscape's 2024 report on physician compensation, essentially received pay cuts compared to their salaries last year.

2.3%. The decline in physician reimbursement amounts, per Medicare patient, between 2005 and 2021 when accounting for inflation, according to a study from the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute.

Nearly 97%. The number of providers have seen delays or denials for necessary patient care due to prior authorization requirements, according to the Medical Group Management Association's 2023 "Regulatory Burden Report."

Around 35%. The percentage of physicians who said they were not satisfied with their current compensation, according to Doximity's 2024 "Physician Compensation Report."

62%. The percentage of Doximity-surveyed physicians who said their current pay did not reflect their level of expertise and the amount of effort required in their roles.

77%. The number of providers who noted that payer policy changes are happening more frequently in 2024, up from 67% in 2022, according to Experian Health's "2024 State of Claims" survey.

67%. The number of providers who said reimbursement times are lengthening in 2024, compared to 51% in 2022, according to the Experian survey.

8.8%. The year-over-year increase in investment required to support a physician practice in October, reaching $332,887 per full-time equivalent physician, according to data from Strata Decision Technology, which analyzed information from 10,000 physician practices,

82%. The increase in supply cost, per full-time employee, from 2013 to 2022 for physician-owned multispecialty practices according to a report released in May by the Medical Group Management Association.