2009 Physician Survey - Vermont Medical Society

Vermont Medical Society 2009 Physician Survey

It is important that VMS understands your opinions in order to continue providing the best leadership for physicians and continue improving our state’s health care system. The results of this survey will help shape our directions for change and guide the VMS Priority Planning Retreat on July 11th.

Please indicate your positions on the following statements:

Vermont Health Care Priorities	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
In order to help reduce frivolous lawsuits, Vermont should adopt pre-trial screening panels modeled on those in place in Maine and NH.
A system of patient compensation similar to workers’ compensation would be fairer to patients and should replace the present tort system.
My patients benefit when I am provided with free drug samples.
I would no longer accept free drug samples if the Attorney General maintained a searchable database of the free drug samples provided to each physician.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

Which of the following best describes your practice?

Employment status:

How many physicians are in your practice?

Are you a member of the Vermont Medical Society?

If you are not a member of VMS, would you like to receive information about joining?
(If you are interested in membership please include your contact information below)

Name (required):
Address:
Email:

Results of the survey will reviewed at the VMS’s priority planning retreat on July 11^th and posted at www.vtmd.org.

*Satisfaction with Your Practice and Health Determinants	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Putting aside paperwork and administrative issues, I find the practice of medicine deeply satisfying.
Paperwork and administrative issues interfere with my ability to serve patients well.
It is difficult to achieve the right balance between my professional activities and my personal life.
I am actively pursuing retirement, or contemplating earlier retirement, due to my dissatisfaction with the current practice environment.
In an advanced medical home, health outcomes are improved when patients receive coordinated care of chronic illness.
The health of individuals is enormously affected by their personal choices.
Reimbursement levels are sufficient to sustain my practice over the next 5 years.

*Elements of National Health Care Reform	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Assuming the availability of low income subsidies, individuals should be responsible for purchasing health insurance.
Employers should be required to provide health insurance to their employees or pay a percentage of payroll into a fund to pay for coverage.
Individuals should be able to enroll in a public plan that reimburses physicians and hospitals based on Medicare’s reimbursement levels.
Medical liability reform is necessary in order to reduce costs associated with defensive medicine.
Medicare reimbursement for primary care should be increased by at least 5% with the increase paid for by additional revenue.
Physicians and hospitals meeting certain quality thresholds should be able to share Medicare cost-savings through Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).
Reform should include payment methodologies that improve chronic disease management and care coordination.
Physicians should be paid for non face-to-face services, such as online evaluation and management services, care coordination and prior authorization.
Reform should place an increased focus on wellness and prevention.
There should be federal funding for comparative effectiveness research (CER).
High medical student debt should be alleviated through tuition assistance, loan deferment and loan forgiveness for service programs.
I support continuing Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI).

I am comfortable with therapeutic substitution of prescriptions by pharmacists.
Continued under-reimbursement by Medicaid will force me to limit the number of Medicaid patents in my practice.
The state is facing a shortage of primary care physicians, which is having an effect on patients’ ability to access medical care and maintain optimal health.
In order to improve patient outcomes and the practice environment for primary care, Vermont should expand the Patient Centered Medical Home statewide.
Addressing childhood obesity should be a high priority.
The state should provide financial support for the adoption of Electronic Health Records and the creation of a health information exchange network.
The current economic recession is having an adverse impact on my patients.
Prescription drug abuse is a severe problem in Vermont.
Thank you for your participation. Please add any additional health care issues you feel VMS should help to address.