Are Cuts in Fees Making Specialist Physicians An Endangered Species?

“Blue Cross Will Slash Specialists’ Fees in State’s Largest Managed-Care Plan” (Feb. 2) outlines the proposed cuts in reimbursement to specialist physicians by Blue Cross of California. The 6.8% reduction is the largest yet in the last three years of cutting specialists’ fees.

This arbitrary assault on professional worth has many ramifications. A large number of physicians are leaving California and the profession of medicine altogether. The honor once associated with one of the noblest professions is slowly being robbed of its dignity and respect. Currently, the specialist physician has become an easy target for all that is wrong with the health care system.

The rising cost of health care is a multifaceted problem. The income generated by physicians constitutes about 20% of the total health care budget. The remaining 80% is for technological advances, medications, hospitals and the corporatization of medicine. The focus on maximizing corporate profits is at the expense of patients, who are frequently denied referrals to specialists.

The continued scapegoating of the specialist physician is merely a smoke screen for corporate executives’ million-dollar bonuses and the high dividends that benefit stockholders. The debate over health care reform has failed to address the need to reinvest corporate profits into the existing health care system instead of filling the pockets of stockholders and executives.

As a health care professional, I am distressed by the imposed direction of our health care delivery system. This present condition warrants all consumers of health care services to question the practices of their insurance groups, demand quality work for appropriate fees and services when needed. Only when we collectively voice our concerns can we create a health care system that benefits both patients and practitioners.

CHRISTINA M. GUILLEN-COOK, R.N.

Pasadena