Pain is good. That is why Dr. Allan Zacher will stop providing non-narcotic, nonsurgical treatments therefor. When Medicare reimbursement for his services was cut over 50 percent, the founder of Interventional Pain Services of Western North Carolina, PLLC, concluded there was not enough money for rent, staff, and ordinary operational expenses. What’s more:
The Government Accounting Office has estimated the average small practice will lose $200,000 annually in lost or delayed payments because of confusion over the new diagnostic codes.
The bottom line, said Zacher, is:
Running a high-quality, ethical practice in pain medicine is no longer economically viable for a solo practitioner in a semi-rural setting. This is America and I can opt out of Medicare, but I but don’t think we’ll get enough people to pay out of pocket for a $400 to $500 treatment.
