Physicians, often considered front-line workers in the fight against COVID-19, are not the ones setting public policy when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid. Hospital administrators, insurance executives, and Wall Street firms play a significant role in determining reimbursements and payments, leading to disparities in care. This two-tiered approach results in outpatient hospital centers charging more for identical care compared to private practices. Doctor Matthew Ray Hitchcock, who runs a direct primary care practice in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has seen firsthand how these disparities burden both patients and the healthcare system.
One of the most common complaints about the U.S. healthcare system is the impersonal nature of care, where patients feel reduced to bed occupants or claim numbers. Due to hospital consolidations that arose without site neutrality, the system has become transactional and impersonal. Direct primary care was created to address this crisis of discontent by offering patients access to general care without the long wait times for appointments. Patients can have direct contact with their physician for advice, establishing a personal connection that is often lacking in traditional healthcare settings.
The federal government’s incentives overwhelmingly favor entrenched interests over patients and physicians, allowing hospital affiliates to use taxpayer-funded payments to buy out competitors and private practices. This has led to a single hospital system dominating the healthcare market in 70 percent of American cities, giving distant administrators and investors monopolistic power to increase prices. Unless policymakers take action to curb monopolistic mergers and acquisitions, this trend is likely to continue growing, further disadvantaging patients and physicians.
In response to these challenges, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan reform package aimed at restoring fairness and transparency to the healthcare system through honest billing approaches and site-neutral reimbursements. The Senate and President Joe Biden have the opportunity to support this reform, sending a strong signal to patients and physicians that bipartisan efforts can still lead to positive change in healthcare. By bringing physicians back to the forefront of American healthcare and refocusing on patients’ needs, policymakers can work towards a system that prioritizes personal connection, mutual trust, and accountability.
Dr. Matthew Ray Hitchcock, a board-certified family medicine physician, father of four, and recipient of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, advocates for these changes in healthcare policy. By addressing the inequalities in reimbursements, promoting transparency in billing, and encouraging site neutrality, policymakers can help create a system that benefits both patients and physicians. Through bipartisan efforts and a focus on patient-centered care, Washington, D.C. has the opportunity to reshape the healthcare landscape and prioritize the well-being of all Americans.
