Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians: Ailing economy affects Wisconsin health care

For More Information Contact:

Larry Pheifer, Executive Director

Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians

800-272-WAFP (800-272-9237)

Family physicians note reduced patient visits, increased stress

(Thiensville) – The Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians (WAFP) today urged Wisconsin residents not to put off health care in an ailing economy, noting the Badger State reflects trends in a recent nationwide survey of family physicians that shows 90 percent of doctors are finding patients increasingly concerned about their ability to pay for health care, and 58 percent of doctors reporting an increase in patient cancellations.

“Putting off health care can prove to be false economy when the condition worsens”, says David Eitrheim, M.D., a family physician at Red Cedar Clinic in Menomonie, Wis., part of Mayo Health System. “Then, it’s almost always more expensive to treat.”

The survey, done by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), confirms Eitrheim’s warning. In it, 58 percent of family physicians report seeing more problems caused by patients foregoing needed preventive care.

The survey also shows an increase in stress-related illnesses among patients who are seeking health care.

“There is no question, of the patients I’m seeing, more are coming in with anxiety and depression related to the economy,” says Alan Schwartzstein, M.D., a family physician with Dean Medical Center in Oregon, Wis. “Family physicians are trained to treat mental as well as physical disorders. Stress increases anxiety and depression, but it can also worsen physical conditions, such as eczema and esophageal reflux.”

In addition, the AAFP survey found:

· Two-thirds (66 percent) of the family physicians who responded said they were taking specific actions, such as discounting their fees, increasing charity care, providing free screenings, and moving patients to generic prescriptions, to help their patients manage health care needs with respect to the current economic climate;

· More than half (54 percent) of the survey respondents reported seeing fewer total patients since the recession began in January 2008;

· 73 percent said they had seen an increase in uninsured patients visiting their offices;

· 64 percent of respondents reported a decrease in the number of employer-sponsored/privately insured patients;

· Nearly 90 percent reported they had seen a significant increase in patients with major stress symptoms since the beginning of the recession.

Physician associations are not the only organizations with such data. A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation also found Americans cutting back on healthcare. Forty-two percent of respondents said that over the past year, family members have relied on home care remedies or over-the-counter drugs rather than see a doctor. Roughly a third said they had put off or postponed needed health care, and nearly that many admitted to skipping recommended medical treatments and medications

Eitrheim says the statistics at his clinic are also telling. “Most striking to me is the 40 percent increase in telephone calls to our clinic’s triage nurses,” Eitrheim says about a free service offered by Red Cedar. Eitrheim adds Red Cedar’s free clinic has also seen an increase in use, filling to near capacity with patients who have recently lost jobs.

“It’s been a very sad time,” says Jean Riquelme, M.D., a family physician at Clinica Hispana, part of Bellin Medical Group in Green Bay. “We’re getting a lot of ‘farewell exams,’ where patients have one final visit on their insurance and that’s it, because their job is gone. Many of these have come from the paper industry. I say goodbye to someone every day and that’s very depressing.” Still, Riquelme says, “We stick with them. These are people we know. We set up payment plans or whatever we can.”

Managing the risk for illness is part of the preventative measures practiced by primary care physicians, and is a significant factor in controlling health care costs. In the U.S., studies show patients with a primary care physician had 33% lower health care costs and were 19% less likely to develop complications or die than patients working solely with physicians. As health care continues to evolve and transition, both the WAFP and AAFP believe health reform concepts based on enhanced primary care will result in better health care outcomes and lower health care costs, assuring a health care system less dependent on economic issues and more dependent on healthy lifestyles and effective medical practice.