“American physicians need to be totally able to do what they have been trained to do, succeed at practicing medicine. American patients need to be totally able to choose the family health insurance coverage and medications that suit their needs, not something forced by a central power. This simply cannot occur under the imprisoning pressure of the Affordable Care Act.” – Richard A. Armstrong, M.D. “Under the Affordable Care Act, physicians who effectively work together with other suppliers to improve patient care results, the value of healthcare services and patient experiences will flourish and be the leaders of the healthcare care program.” – Robert Kocher, M.D.; Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D.; Nancy-Ann DeParle
Physicians have been caught in the middle of the transformation of the American healthcare care distribution program brought on by the Affordable Care Act. Doctors who battle the regulation and those who support it are trying to adjust to a fast changing healthcare environment. A Deloitte Center for Health Solutions survey of American physicians found 44 % thought the ACA was “a good start” and 44% reacted that “it is a step in the wrong direction.” Obviously, older physicians were more likely to be in the second group of participants than younger physicians.
The ACA overhauls the healthcare care distribution program in the following ways:
- It improves accessibility healthcare for more Americans
- It creates incentives to promote better patient care synchronization and quality
- It provides feedback to physicians on cost and quality of their patient care
- It changes the payment program from fee for service to value based
- It focuses on patient-centered care
- It depends on increased use of electronic medical records
- It attempts to increase access to primary care and allied health providers