April 1998 AAOS Report
On March 26, Rep. David Weldon (R-Fla.) and Rep.
Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) held a press conference to introduce legislation - the
Patient Choice and Access to Quality Health Care Act - developed
by the Patient Access to Specialty Care Coalition. The coalition
is comprised of 130 patient and physician groups, and is cochaired
by Nicholas Cavarocchi, director of the Academy’s Washington
office. The bill requires that all managed care plans should allow
consumers the right to see doctors and/or specialists outside
the network for a reasonable copayment; consumers should have
the opportunity to choose from multiple plans with complete information
to select the best health care plan; all health plans should fully
disclose any financial arrangements between the managed care organization
and doctors that would influence the highest quality of patient
care; all health care plans should have an expedited independent
appeals mechanism to review any denial of patient care; and financial
incentives or disincentives that can influence a physician’s
decision about a patient’s care should be prohibited.