PHYSICIAN RESPONSES TO MEDICARE PHYSICIAN-PAYMENT REFORM - PRELIMINARY-RESULTS ON ACCESS TO CARE

This paper examines the impact of Medicare physician payment reform on access to care by comparing several physician-based access measures i n the pre- and postreform periods. The results suggest that the broad goals of payment reform may have been at least partially achieved: the proportion of physician revenues derived from Medicare increased for primary care physicians and decreased for nonprimary care MDs; there w as little change in the absolute or relative number of visits provided to Medicare patients; and an increasing number of physicians charged no more than the Medicare payment amount. Some signs of deteriorating access were found, however. Fewer physicians were willing to treat all new Medicare patients and more physicians accepted no new Medicare pa tients. Furthermore, there was an increase in the proportion of physic ians who reduced or stopped providing to Medicare patients certain typ es of services that they continued to provide to other patients.