Will Medicare Change Make Urgent Care More Appealing?

The end of 2015 means the end of a 10 percent bonus paid to primary care physicians who care for Medicare patients. Depending on how they react, some practices could see more patients turn to urgent care for acute complaints. Essentially, primary care practices will have three options once their bonus disappears: eat the revenue loss, take in more patients to make up for it, or charge patients more. The bonus program was initiated in 2011 to address disparities in the reimbursements Medicare paid to PCPs vs those it paid to specialists. The effect of the program’s demise will be felt the most by practices with a high percentage of older patients.