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Tight economy adding to stressors squeezing physicians in state.

Article Excerpt
Practicing medicine in less than ideal economic times is adding another element to a list of stressors that's been growing for some time, state physician leaders say.

"We've been in tough times for a long time, and we've had to tighten our belts," says Patrick Barrett, M.D., president of the Mississippi State Medical Association (MSMA). "We haven't been practicing in the capitalistic system for a while."

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He and Randy Easterling, M.D., president elect of MSMA, cite the frozen formulas of reimbursements for Medicare and Medicaid programs among the chief reasons practitioners have been feeling an economic squeeze for more than 10 years. There's been no increase in the percentage of reimbursements for seven years. That was coupled with a fight to keep reimbursements from being cut by 2 1/2%; something Easterling says came dangerously close to happening.

"The federal government has a crazy formula. Medicare has been devastating for years; it...

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