Spokane physicians voice opposition

In an unprecedented move, physicians and staff at Heart Clinics Northwest are urging people to contact federal representatives and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and tell them how damaging the currently-in-process President's Health Care proposals for reform would be to patient's medical care.

"The proposed reimbursement schedule is devastating to the care of all patients," says the July 15,2009 open letter sent to HCN patients. "Tell them (federal representatives & CMS) how damaging this would be to your care and they absolutely can't implement these cost reductions."

Heart Clinic Northwest foresees a dramatic decrease in:
Access to care
Substantial reduction in ability to provide high quality care
Probable future reduction in quantity of care.

Comments will be received at CMS no later than August 31, 2009 at 5:p.m. Eastern time and will ONLY reach the proper CMS department at the following:

Electronically submitted comments: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=09000064809f0082.

Written comments sent via US Mail:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: CMS-1413-PP.O.
Box 8013Baltimore, MD 21244-8013.

By express or overnight mail:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: CMS-1413-P
Mail Stop C4-26-05, 7500 Security Blvd.
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.

Email to elected officials must go through their websites:
Senator Patty Murray (Ph: 202-224-2621; Fax: 202 224-0238; website: http://www.murray.senate.gov/.)
Senator Maria Cantwell (Ph: 202 224 3441; Fax: 202 228-0514; website: http://www.cantwell.senate.gov/.)
Representative, Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (Ph: 202 225-2006; Fax: 202 225-3392; website: http://www.mcmorrisrodgers.house.gov/.)

E-mail forms: Senator Patty Murray, http://www.murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm

Senator Maria Cantwell, http://www.cantwell.senate.gov/contact/

Representative, Cathy McMorris-Rodgers , http://mcmorris.house.gov/?sectionid=82&sectiontree=4,82.

CMS is responsible for reimbursement to hospitals and physicians, and will only be open for comment until August 31, 2009 on proposed cuts in reimbursement for medical care (physician services, outpatient procedures, and imaging services.)

Heart Clinics Northwest is a major provider of cardiac care in the northwest, and advise that "the proposed cuts would amount in total to between a 25% to as much as 50% reduction ... the reduction will be superimposed on an already implemented 15%-20% reduction in the current fiscal year. Our practice cannot sustain this insult and if they are implemented January 1, 2010 as proposed, the impact to you, as a patient, will be radical."

"The risk to you is tremendous and the outcome potentially devastating." HCN wrote.