The future of Medicare - Their plans, your practice, Medicare reform, and how it will affect the practice of dermatology

The future of Medicare will be determined by patient demands, government action, and physician reactions. The federal government has always had the authority to design the Medicare program, but in the past physicians have had control over its implementation. While it is impossible to accurately predict the future, past and present reform efforts shed considerable light on directions the Medicare program will take and the impact Medicare will have on the science and practice of dermatology. It is important to understand these historic trends and the changes they foster to position ourselves to avoid threats and benefit from opportunities that will arise for the science and practice of dermatology.