ENT surgeons raise alarm about proposed Medicare cuts

Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) physicians have a issued a stark warning for patients, as well as for hospitals and ASCs who operate ENT service lines. According to a new survey of 1,406 ENT docs from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), eight out of 10 say a proposed 50% Medicare payment cut could reduce seniors' access to care,

67 percent of ENT physicians surveyed by AAO-HNS said they would see fewer Medicare patients if the cuts come to pass, with 14% saying they would stop accepting Medicare entirely.

“Physician practices are already being squeezed from every direction,” stated AAO-HNS CEO and Executive Vice President Rahul K. Shah, MD, MBA. “Years of inadequate Medicare payment have made it harder to keep staff, invest in care, and maintain patient access. Now CMS is proposing to pay half for medically necessary work that physicians perform in full. At some point, the math stops working—and when that happens, every patient in the practice feels it.”

Other survey results:

• 84% said the proposal could lead to longer appointment wait times, fewer referral options, and greater difficulty obtaining timely specialty consultation.
• 82% said it could delay care in ways that affect patients’ quality of life
• 81% expect greater inconvenience for patients with transportation or mobility challenges
• 56% predict higher out-of-pocket costs for patients.
• 50% said they would spend more time on documentation and administrative work.
• 50% said they would delay investments in technology, equipment, and training.
• 30% said they would need to lay off staff.
• 18% said they would need to hire additional coding or billing staff.

“The consequences could be particularly severe in rural and underserved communities, where practices have less flexibility to absorb further Medicare cuts,” added AAO-HNS.

Read about the full survey results here.