| pubmed-article:14699371 | pubmed:abstractText | In 2002, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented a 5.4% cut in Medicare physician payments, and further reductions are expected in 2004. These cuts have raised concerns that beneficiaries of Medicare will face significant problems obtaining needed physician services. Although there is clear evidence of poor access to care for patients with Medicaid, data measuring access to physicians for patients with Medicare are sparse. Given current lengthy appointment wait times resulting from a relative shortage of dermatologists, we hypothesized that patients with lower-paying coverage might be more likely to experience appointment refusals, longer wait times, or both. | lld:pubmed |
