Dr. Gerald Fincken, D.O., a family physician in Austin, Texas, sees the impact of the payment disparities when recruiting new physicians to the large, multispecialty clinic where he works. Medical students have steep medical school loans to repay and see that not only is primary care reimbursement comparatively lower but Medicare reimbursements are declining, he said. “Medical students are becoming more savvy,” he said.
Federal policy makers will have to get more creative and figure out a way to shift dollars to increase the reimbursement for primary care; otherwise, the residency rates will continue to drop, he said.
“Income is definitely a factor that leads medical students not to choose primary care,” said Dr. James King, board chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Officials at the AAFP have been urging Congress to act to reexamine how they pay for primary care and to pay physicians more for providing non-visit-based services such as coordination of care through a patient-centered medical home.