Attitude of hand surgeons toward Affordable Care Act: A survey of members of American Society for Surgery of the Hand

Valeriy Shubinets; Patrick A Gerety; Christopher J Pannucci; Paris D Butler; Michael N Mirzabeigi; Benjamin Chang; L Scott Levin; Ines C Lin

doi:10.1016/j.jor.2016.10.016

Attitude of hand surgeons toward Affordable Care Act: A survey of members of American Society for Surgery of the Hand

J Orthop. 2016 Oct 25;14(1):38-44. doi: 10.1016/j.jor.2016.10.016. eCollection 2017 Mar.

Authors

Valeriy Shubinets¹, Patrick A Gerety¹, Christopher J Pannucci², Paris D Butler¹, Michael N Mirzabeigi¹, Benjamin Chang¹, L Scott Levin³, Ines C Lin¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
² Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.
³ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine current attitude of hand surgeons toward the Affordable Care Act (ACA). An electronic survey was sent to members of American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) to examine their attitude toward the Affordable Care Act. 974 ASSH members responded to the survey (33% response rate). The majority of respondents were male (89%), trained in orthopedic surgery (81%), and in private practice (75%). 41% of respondents rated their knowledge of the ACA as average. Respondents disagreed that the ACA would improve healthcare in the United States (median 2, mean 2.06, scale 1-5), while agreeing that the ACA would decrease reimbursements specific to hand surgery (median 4, mean 4.11).

Keywords: ACA; Affordable Care Act; Hand surgeons; Obamacare; Survey.