1989 physician survey examines attitudes, professional needs

While down slightly since 1987, physician concerns about professional liability are still dominant as the biggest challenge facing Texas medicine. Medicare reimbursement is seen as a growing problem as are cost and reimbursement issues generally. The intense concern over professional liability voiced by obstetricians and radiologists in 1987 has abated significantly. Clearly, attitudes toward the professional liability situation facing these two specialties have improved in the two-year interim. This trend may be due more to changes in medical practice patterns than in the liability environment itself. Obstetricians and radiologists may be shifting their practices away from high-risk cases, thereby improving their premium profile. If this is the case, lessened concern has occurred at the expense of service availability. Only 8% of Texas physicians indicate that they know "a great deal" about the resource-based relative value scale. On average, 15% of Texas physicians' patients are indigent. The typical Texas physician treats 95 of these patients without charge each year. Thirty-one percent of Texas doctors report that they remain willing to accept Medicare patients despite recent changes in the Medicare program. The implications of this finding for the elderly's access to medical care are clearly negative. Thirty one percent of respondents also indicate that they encountered difficulty in hospitalizing Medicare patients when it is medically necessary. The majority of Texas physicians who treat Medicare patients are "not at all" satisfied with Medicare reimbursement levels. The two most frequent patient complaints about Medicare involve inadequate coverage or confusion/uncertainty about various aspects of the program.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)