Survey: TX physicians say paperwork hurts patients

A physician survey done by the Texas Medical Association has concluded that doctors feel health plans and government bureaucracy undermine patient care.

The survey, which polled 850 of the state's doctors, found that physicians worry that difficulties in collecting from health plans are threatening quality of care. Claims denials, incorrect or late payments and the overhead associated with collections are forcing doctors to scale down the scope of their practice, as such problems are raising the costs associated with their practice.

And working with the health plans doesn't seem to help things much, the physicians suggested. While two-thirds of respondents reported that they tried to negotiate for better payment terms, only half of those negotiating said they were never or rarely successful.

To learn more about the survey:
- read this Dallas Morning News piece

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