Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5604, USA.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2012 May;146(5):690-3. doi: 10.1177/0194599811435967. Epub 2012 Jan 26.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. Since its passage, the PPACA has led to increased health insurance coverage for millions more Americans, and it includes provisions leading to new avenues for clinical and health services research funding. The legislation also favors development of the primary care specialties and general surgery, increased training of midlevel health care providers, and medical training and service in underserved areas of the United States. However, the PPACA does not effectively engage otolaryngologists in quality improvement, despite modifications to the Physician Quality Reporting System. The legislation also levies a tax on cosmetic procedures, affecting both clinicians and patients. This article reviews the sections of the PPACA that are most pertinent to otolaryngologists and explains how these components of the bill will affect otolaryngologic practice and research over the coming decade.
《患者保护与平价医疗法案》（PPACA）于 2010 年 3 月 23 日由巴拉克·奥巴马总统签署成为法律。自该法案通过以来，已经为数百万美国人增加了医疗保险覆盖范围，其中包括为临床和健康服务研究提供新资金渠道的规定。该立法还支持初级保健专业和普通外科的发展，增加中级医疗保健提供者的培训，并在美国服务不足的地区开展医学培训和服务。然而，尽管对医师质量报告系统进行了修改，《平价医疗法案》并未有效地让耳鼻喉科医生参与质量改进。该法案还对美容手术征税，这对临床医生和患者都有影响。本文回顾了与耳鼻喉科医生最相关的《平价医疗法案》的部分，并解释了该法案的这些组成部分将如何在未来十年影响耳鼻喉科的实践和研究。
