A message from our President > Cyrus Fram Buhari, DO
We cannot afford to wait Every other year it seems as if we go through a political cycle. One party is up and the other party is down. It’s so sensational and vapid that many physicians such as myself try very hard to drown it out. But no matter which party is in power, it seems that the voices of physicians go unheard unless there is political gain from some legislative action. I am hopeful that this cycle will be different, but I am used to disappointment by now. For years the physicians of our community have been delivering care to the people of our community at a discount while improving quality and outcomes. There has been no meaningful increase in reimbursement to primary care, specialty, or surgery that can even come close to matching inflation and the cost to deliver this care. Physician practices have long suffered financially under the burdens of the Affordable Care Act as well as draconian Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) cuts that only serve to punish physician practices and reduce access to care. I recognize that these cuts are made through some warped sense of maintaining budget neutrality in order to have the appearance that our legislators are efficient stewards of our tax dollars.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cyrus Fram Buhari, DO is the current president of the San Joaquin Medical Society and practices at the San Joaquin Cardiology Medical Group
WINTER 2022
However, despite this we see billions (if not trillions) of dollars being spent on our behalf that do not translate into improvement in the lives of the members of our community. No matter which party you support, or which party is in power, an immense amount of wasteful spending is in every single bill signed into law. Would it be too inflammatory to suggest that for every dollar spent on foreign aid or the military, that a matching dollar be spent on healthcare for the patients of our community? Without impugning the motives of our elected leaders, I respectfully urge them to listen to and take an interest in our concerns. CMS is poised to enact cuts in 2023 that will result in Medicare payment cuts to over 90% of medical practices. It seems both asinine and punitive at the same
SAN JOAQUIN PHYSICIAN
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