Baltimore Area Primary Care Physicians fight for equal pay

Doctors are fleeing the Baltimore region at an alarming rate. Many primary care physicians in Baltimore and Baltimore County can no longer make enough money to justify keeping their practice in the area. Many have already switched to an expensive boutique practice model or decided to close down all together. The residents of Baltimore may be soon forced to travel over state lines to see a family doctor.

The facts are in and they don’t look good for the private practice primary care physicians. A survey recently completed by the Government Accountability Office reports that Baltimore and vicinity ranks dead last out of 319 areas of the country in physician reimbursement. Baltimore area physicians are reimbursed on average 73% of the national average. This would not be so detrimental however the area has some of the highest cost of living at 118% of the average. The problem is concentrated in the state of Maryland. Areas just a few miles away, over the state lines in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia are not as affected.

This reimbursement rate is hurting our doctors and legislatures need to make some changes. Compounding the problem are the high rates of malpractice insurance for Baltimore doctors. Maryland tort laws have not been reformed to reduce the amount of coverage needed by the doctors. Doctors who are already having trouble scraping buy are then forced to shell out $100,000 or more a year in malpractice insurance premiums.

There are alternatives for the physicians. Companies are coming in and wooing the doctors with the promise of big paychecks if they join organizations which charge yearly fees to each patient. Patients are required to pay retainers to the doctors in order to use their services; these boutique practices can charge as much as $4,000 per year. This is a tough pill for most Baltimore residents to swallow in the current economy.

The good news is that some doctors realize the need for change and our standing up for their practices. In order to keep medicine accessible to all and keep the traditional family practice in the area, they are petitioning citizens to reach out to elected officials. Baltimore residents need to contact their local politicians and send a message to Annapolis. Politicians need to know that we want to keep our family doctors in Baltimore and they deserve to make a decent living doing what they love.