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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 15, 2014 10:58 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Mark Mustio |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Prohibit steering of patients |
| In the near future, I will be introducing legislation prohibiting the steering of patients in Pennsylvania, as it limits a patient’s choice and decreases competition in the marketplace. In an effort to maintain patient choice and preserve competition in the marketplace, I believe that the Commonwealth should prohibit steering of patients by an integrated delivery hospital system and its physicians. The patient should be provided with all options and alternatives, and names of physicians and specialists in the region that provide the needed services. The steering of patients has also been mentioned as an issue in the ongoing Highmark/UPMC battle. As you know, most physicians spend years building their reputation and developing relationships with other physicians for referrals. As patients have positive experiences, and as the physician becomes known for his or her competence, quality, and care for the patient, those referral patterns strengthen over time. Specialists need to develop and maintain those referral sources because patients nearly always come to them through the referral of other community physicians. Integrated delivery hospital systems have massive referral systems, typically, including a large network of its own physicians, and any instruction or expectation on its own physicians to refer to its own physician practices and services efficiently steers patients where to go for the necessary service. I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation. Thank you. |