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Monday, February 11, 2008
Ind. Law - "March 1, physicians in Indiana will see a 19.1 percent decrease in annual surcharges paid into the Patient’s Compensation Fund"
Michael Schroeder reports today in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette in a story that begins:
Health care costs continue to climb, but Indiana doctors are getting a break on payments to a state fund that covers the lion’s share of costs for larger malpractice judgments.Effective March 1, physicians’ annual surcharges to the Patient’s Compensation Fund will drop 19.1 percent. Hospitals will see a modest decrease, averaging 1.3 percent. This is the first rate reduction for doctors and hospitals since the fund’s inception in 1975.
The decrease amounts to a savings of $571 to $6,480 per physician, depending on specialty.
But don’t expect discounted rates at your next doctor’s visit. With rising overhead costs and lagging reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid and some private insurers, doctors and practice managers say this surcharge decrease will have limited effect.
Still, proponents of Indiana’s malpractice system say the relatively low cost of malpractice coverage in the state – including private insurance – means more dollars for patient care.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 11, 2008 06:40 AM
Posted to Indiana Law