As more Americans opt for health insurance under Obamacare, a scarcity in primary-care physicians may be prevalent. According to recent research, the new healthcare initiative introduces primary care models that may actually alleviate physician shortages. As a result, the shortage of physicians could be eliminated through the use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
Recently, researchers at RAND Corporation said that by increasing the number of patient-centered medical homes and health centers managed by nurses, the number of shortages among primary-care physicians could drop by 50 percent or more in the U.S. by 2025. Many of the new primary care models enacted by the Affordable Care Act call for increased interactions between nurse practitioners, physician assistants and their patients, ensuring that they are taking medications regularly, eating well, and abiding by their doctor’s orders.
With the introduction of accountable care programs and organizations, hospitals and health systems are adding several new nurse practitioners to their staff in order to ensure efficient operations. While several health plans are linking to ACOs, these organizations are rewarding healthcare providers for working as a team to help manage costs and provide quality care. Additionally, by grouping all medical care providers together under a single entity, nurses and other caregivers are used to help control care for several patients.
As a result, if the ACOs obtain better results, providers within the organizations will divide up the profits saved with the health plans. Several private health insurance companies, including Aetna, Cigna, Wellpoint, UnitedHealth Group and Humana are connecting with ACOs and patient-centered medical homes. In addition to these efforts, many large drugstores across the country, including Walgreens and CVS, are connecting with medical care providers to help manage patient treatment plans with both nurse practitioners and pharmacists in their clinics.
Although Obamacare may help alleviate physician shortages, physicians must continue to manage their finances effectively in order to ensure the success of their practice. Physician factoring can be the key to increasing your cash flow. Thanks to same-day funding and immediate cash advances, physicians can easily take care of increased overhead costs resulting from the recession. Instead of waiting for payments from private insurers, doctors can accelerate their cash flow by taking advantage of physician factoring services. Learn more about medical factoring for private practice physicians by requesting a quote online today.
