Michigan Chapter, American College of Surgeons Officer Testifies Before State House of Representatives
Dr. Andrew Saxe, MD, FACS, the Chapter’s immediate past-president, was invited to testify before the Michigan House Health Policy Subcommittee on Appropriate Supply and Utilization of Michigan’s Health Care Workforce. On June 1, 2001 he spoke before the subcommittee when it met at Lapeer Regional Medical Center. Subcommittee members in attendance were Representative Steven Ehardt, (Rep-Lexington) the full Health Policy Committee chairperson, and Representative Judith Scranton (Rep-Brighton), the subcommittee chairperson.
Dr. Saxe emphasized these points:
- The supply of physicians in all disciplines is dependent upon the economic health of teaching hospitals. There is no governmental or professional organization that assesses the perceived need for physicians and creates the educational resources to train the requisite number of physicians. As teaching hospitals close for economic reasons despite satisfactory educational performance, the supply of physicians declines. No governmental or professional organization expands existing residency programs to compensate for hospital closures. Dr. Saxe spoke of his own experience with the closing of Sinai Hospital in Detroit. With the closure of that hospital, fewer internists, surgeons, radiologists, gynecologists, etc are being trained in Michigan. It is imperative that the state legislature do all it can to maintain the economic well being of teaching hospitals.
- Teaching hospitals are disproportionately reliant upon Medicaid reimbursement, the insurance program with the lowest rate of compensation. To the extent that Medicaid and other insurance programs inadequately compensate teaching hospitals, the supply of physicians is jeopardized.
- The optimum number of specialists, and surgeons in particular, can be expected to increase in the coming years for several reasons;
- The strategy of early referral to specialists is being recognized as both the most economical and beneficial approach to medical care
- Surgeons are retiring at a more rapid rate than previously
- New specialists expect to work fewer hours than the specialists they are replacing
- Women specialists are likely to take hiatuses from their careers
Others who testified included representatives from the pharmacy, nursing, and speech pathology professions, and administrators of hospitals and long-term nursing homes. All emphasized a current or anticipated crisis in the supply of health care professionals.
Dr. Saxe was impressed by the subcommittee members’ understanding of and sympathy for the issues presented. Representative Ehardt had been a pharmacist and Representative Scranton a nursing home administrator. They acknowledged the state’s obligation to anticipate and adequate fund the growing demand for medical care. They invite and encourage comments from anyone interested in these issues.
Representative Steve Ehardt
Michigan House of Representatives
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909
Sehardt@house.state.mi.us
Representative Judith Scranton
Michigan House of Representatives
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909
Jscranton@house.state.mi.us
Representative Barbara VanderVeen
Michigan House of Representatives
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909
Repbarbvanderveen@house.state.mi.us
Representative Mark Schauer
Michigan House of Representatives
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909
Schauer@house.state.mi.us
