Update: Politico reports that the Obama administration has scrapped its “mystery shoppers” plan to investigate the primary care physician shortage.
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The New York Times published a story about the Obama administration’s plan to determine the extent of the primary care physician shortage. The government will send people posing as patients to make appointments and find out how easy or difficult it would be to see a doctor.
As the health care reform law takes effect in a few years, the shortage will be glaring. Although some doctors are dropping Medicaid recipients or turning down new ones, Medicaid will expand to cover millions of new people under the new law. An excerpt:
Dr. George J. Petruncio, a family doctor in Turnersville, N.J., said: “This is not a way to build trust in government. Why should I trust someone who does not correctly identify himself?”
Dr. Stephen C. Albrecht, a family doctor in Olympia, Wash., said: “If federal officials are worried about access to care, they could help us. They don’t have to spy on us.”
Dr. Robert L. Hogue, a family physician in Brownwood, Tex., asked: “Is this a good use of tax money? Probably not. Everybody with a brain knows we do not have enough doctors.”
In response to the drumbeat of criticism, a federal health official said doctors need not worry because the data would be kept confidential. “Reports will present aggregate data, and individuals will not be identified,” said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss the plan before its final approval by the White House.
Christian J. Stenrud, a Health and Human Services spokesman, said: “Access to primary care is a priority for the administration. This study is an effort to better understand the problem and make sure we are doing everything we can to support primary care physicians, especially in communities where the need is greatest.”
The new health care law includes several provisions intended to increase the supply of primary care doctors, and officials want to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of those policies.