Comments on: Happy 65th Birthday-Your Psychotherapy Fee is Reduced. http://www.psychiatrytalk.com/2009/11/happy-65th-birthday-your-psychotherapy-fee-is-reduced/ by Dr. Michael Blumenfield Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:05:34 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Obamacare for Mental Health - PsychiatryTalk http://www.psychiatrytalk.com/2009/11/happy-65th-birthday-your-psychotherapy-fee-is-reduced/comment-page-1/#comment-488 Obamacare for Mental Health - PsychiatryTalk Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:33:50 +0000 http://www.psychiatrytalk.com/?p=302#comment-488 [...] There is 5% increase for psychotherapy services scheduled to go into effect for 2010. This is an extension of the increases scheduled for part of 2008 -09 which expired in 2010. HOWEVER, Congress has not acted to prevent the 21% reduction in the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate which is suppose to go into effect now. They have postponed this vote twice . The establishment of an equitable Medicare fee schedule for mental health services is essential for the success of the new healthcare legislation. This is especially true if psychiatrists are able to continue to participate in the Medicare program in large numbers. Psychiatric consultation and the delivery of most effective psychotherapy is a time intensive service. While it may be possible to deliver psychopharmacology in a high quality manner in brief follow-up visits, that is usually not the case with psychotherapy. If psychiatrists have to opt out of the Medicare program in order to treat senior citizen at anywhere near their usual fee for psychotherapy they will not be able to provide psychopharmacology treatment which creates a dilemma for the patients, providers and our health care system. I have discussed this issue in a previous blog. [...] [...] There is 5% increase for psychotherapy services scheduled to go into effect for 2010. This is an extension of the increases scheduled for part of 2008 -09 which expired in 2010. HOWEVER, Congress has not acted to prevent the 21% reduction in the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate which is suppose to go into effect now. They have postponed this vote twice . The establishment of an equitable Medicare fee schedule for mental health services is essential for the success of the new healthcare legislation. This is especially true if psychiatrists are able to continue to participate in the Medicare program in large numbers. Psychiatric consultation and the delivery of most effective psychotherapy is a time intensive service. While it may be possible to deliver psychopharmacology in a high quality manner in brief follow-up visits, that is usually not the case with psychotherapy. If psychiatrists have to opt out of the Medicare program in order to treat senior citizen at anywhere near their usual fee for psychotherapy they will not be able to provide psychopharmacology treatment which creates a dilemma for the patients, providers and our health care system. I have discussed this issue in a previous blog. [...]

]]> By: Stephanie Jorgensen http://www.psychiatrytalk.com/2009/11/happy-65th-birthday-your-psychotherapy-fee-is-reduced/comment-page-1/#comment-358 Stephanie Jorgensen Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:44:25 +0000 http://www.psychiatrytalk.com/?p=302#comment-358 Dear Dr. Blumenfield, I was delighted to have this "HB 65th" come up in my Google search. Twice now both my husband and I have been caught in drug side effects where we have found ourselves in serious depression – I for CHF and my husband for major back surgery. Healthcare here in New Mexico is horrible. I was told by my cardiologist’s office that they do not have time to screen for side effects. My husband was referred to his primary care as at 66 he only gets so much time from his surgeon. We needed to find someone who really could help us and finally found a wonderful psychiatrist who does not take insurance. The fact is he saved our lives where others were just too busy to figure things out. The old adage of “You pay for what you get!” is certainly true here in NM. Dear Dr. Blumenfield, I was delighted to have this “HB 65th” come up in my Google search. Twice now both my husband and I have been caught in drug side effects where we have found ourselves in serious depression – I for CHF and my husband for major back surgery. Healthcare here in New Mexico is horrible. I was told by my cardiologist’s office that they do not have time to screen for side effects. My husband was referred to his primary care as at 66 he only gets so much time from his surgeon. We needed to find someone who really could help us and finally found a wonderful psychiatrist who does not take insurance. The fact is he saved our lives where others were just too busy to figure things out. The old adage of “You pay for what you get!” is certainly true here in NM.

]]> By: Dolores Encinas http://www.psychiatrytalk.com/2009/11/happy-65th-birthday-your-psychotherapy-fee-is-reduced/comment-page-1/#comment-81 Dolores Encinas Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:22:58 +0000 http://www.psychiatrytalk.com/?p=302#comment-81 Ran across you on my NAMI site and so delighted with your views on mental health and on the ObamaCare issue which I try to follow as a yellow dog Democrat. I used to follow Harry S. Truman around the University of Missouri campus while a student there in the 1950's whenever he came to town; he always stayed at the Daniel Boone Hotel in Columbia, MO, my home town. Still regret not going to Fulton, MO when Churchill spoke there. Also, so appreciate your decisions on accepting Medicare patients. Now days when clients call looking for a medicare or medical psychiatrist, it is difficult but in my NAMI ESGV Care & Share group I have learned of some very good psychiatrist, etc. Ran across you on my NAMI site and so delighted with your views on mental health and on the ObamaCare issue which I try to follow as a yellow dog Democrat. I used to follow Harry S. Truman around the University of Missouri campus while a student there in the 1950′s whenever he came to town; he always stayed at the Daniel Boone Hotel in Columbia, MO, my home town. Still regret not going to Fulton, MO when Churchill spoke there.
Also, so appreciate your decisions on accepting Medicare patients. Now days when clients call looking for a medicare or medical psychiatrist, it is difficult but in my NAMI ESGV Care & Share group I have learned of some very good psychiatrist, etc.

]]> By: Mal Luber http://www.psychiatrytalk.com/2009/11/happy-65th-birthday-your-psychotherapy-fee-is-reduced/comment-page-1/#comment-72 Mal Luber Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:58:57 +0000 http://www.psychiatrytalk.com/?p=302#comment-72 Hi Michael: Thanks for sending me your blogs. I enjoy reading them, although I profoundly disagree with your support of a so-called public option. There is no gov't run health care anywhere in the world that does not involve rationing, higher taxes, long waiting lines, and inferior care. Moreover, such a plan would allow the gov't to regulate almost any aspect of one's life, which in my mind is tyranny. The purpose of ObamaCare is not health care, but gov't control of yet another 1/6th of the economy and wealth distribution. There are far more effective ways to lower costs and provide health care to those uninsured, without this massive change, to which now about 60% of the country is against. With the type of plan that's now proposed, rationing based on costs would no doubt affect psychotherapy, and cause more people to do without such care, no to mention the trillions of dollars in depbt that we're passing on to our kids and future generations. Mal Hi Michael:
Thanks for sending me your blogs. I enjoy reading them, although I profoundly disagree with your support of a so-called public option. There is no gov’t run health care anywhere in the world that does not involve rationing, higher taxes, long waiting lines, and inferior care. Moreover, such a plan would allow the gov’t to regulate almost any aspect of one’s life, which in my mind is tyranny. The purpose of ObamaCare is not health care, but gov’t control of yet another 1/6th of the economy and wealth distribution. There are far more effective ways to lower costs and provide health care to those uninsured, without this massive change, to which now about 60% of the country is against. With the type of plan that’s now proposed, rationing based on costs would no doubt affect psychotherapy, and cause more people to do without such care, no to mention the trillions of dollars in depbt that we’re passing on to our kids and future generations.

Mal

]]> By: bill r http://www.psychiatrytalk.com/2009/11/happy-65th-birthday-your-psychotherapy-fee-is-reduced/comment-page-1/#comment-71 bill r Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:38:22 +0000 http://www.psychiatrytalk.com/?p=302#comment-71 ya can't keep a good man down- keep up the good work ya can’t keep a good man down- keep up the good work

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