Thirty-seven percent of physicians said private payers influence treatment decisions "quite a bit" or "a great deal," a recent Medscape report found.
Medscape surveyed 1,030 respondents across 29 specialties between Feb. 1 and March 19. Here are five things to know:
1. Twenty-seven percent of physicians said their private insurance reimbursement rates were in the low range, 14% said it was on the high end and 60% described being "average."
2. Physicians are more likely to say that reimbursement rates dipped in the last five years.
3. About 60% of physicians said their support staff spend more time on insurance billing compile now than five years ago.
4. About 2 in 3 physicians report dedicating more staff hours to prior authorization.
5. Physicians in the Mid-Atlantic (34%), South Atlantic (33%) and the West (32%) regions said they are unhappy with reimbursement rates, the highest percentages among the nine regions in Medscape's report.