http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/how-one-small-group-sets-doctors-pay/?ref=health
Letters to the Editor
New York Times
September 24, 2011
Dear Editor,
On Thursday (9/22), the article by Dr. Pauline W. Chen entitled “How One Small Group Sets Doctors’ Pay,” examined the discrepancies that continue to define the lifetime earnings of physicians practicing primary care and specialists. As suggested by the lack of transparency and regulation of the RUC, the way in which our healthcare system is structured continues to pay primary care physicians far less than other specialists. I believe that this highlights a controversial issue that must be addressed.
As a public health undergraduate pursuing a career in healthcare, it is disconcerting to know that there is a contradiction in our nation’s goal of keeping Americans healthy and safe. While we emphasize the importance of preventative medicine, which primary care physicians are essential to, we continue to pay them much less than those who specialize in areas whose patients are often already sick and in need of medications, procedures, and prescriptions. In order to successfully address this paradoxical assertion that our nation continues to stand by, I believe that the RUC must be able to accommodate members of the primary care sector more justly so as to ensure that the these doctors are paid adequately for the necessary services they provide in maintaining the well-being of our nation. While there are many factors that contribute to the primary care crisis, management and re-organization of the RUC seems like a practical start to addressing the issue. If we are to believe that preventative medicine is imperative to our nation’s healthcare system, my hope is that we can progress gradually first by recognizing the individuals who dedicate their lives to a profession that makes such goals practical to begin with.
Best regards,
Cheston Wong
Berkeley, Calif., September 24, 2011
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