One of the biggest questions consumers and health experts have about the ramifications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is how it will affect patients' ability to make an appointment with their doctor. Perhaps because of this concern, a new nonprofit is conducting a study to see which treatments work best for various conditions in order to make the system as efficient as possible.
According to the Patient Centered Research Outcomes Institute, which was created by the ACA when it was signed into law in 2010, approximately $68 million will be spent to investigate how patients receive treatment and which ones pan out to be the most effective.
Joe Selby, PCORI executive director, indicated that if the testing goes as expected, it could be a significant development in seeing to it that the ACA goes off without a hitch.
"Across the country, there is a lot of variation in how diseases get treated," said Selby. "This is a golden opportunity to study which leads to better outcomes."
Business owners and consumers who have questioned the practicality of the ACA have indicated that after it goes fully into effect, people who have employee benefits and wish to seek treatment may find it more difficult to be seen in a prompt fashion. Detractors of the bill point out that an increased patient base must be complemented with more doctors.
