National Osteopathic Medicine Week to Highlight Professional Liability Insurance and Other Access to Care Issues

8/29/2002

From: Mike Campea of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), 800-621-1773, ext. 8043 or 312-202-8043

CHICAGO, Aug. 29 -- Astronomical increases in liability insurance, language barriers, rural and urban underserved areas, and Medicare have something in common -- each has an impact on the public's access to medical care. Because each issue creates a challenge in today's medical arena, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the osteopathic medical profession dedicate this year's National Osteopathic Medicine (NOM) Week, October 6-12, to addressing several "Access to Care" issues.

Key "Access to Care" statistics include: -- Four out of five Americans have expressed concern that skyrocketing medical liability costs limit their access to care. (Wirthlin Worldwide survey for Health Care Liability Alliance) -- Doctors of osteopathic medicine (D.O.s) make up 18 percent of the total physician population that practice in towns of 10,000 people or less. (AOA) -- Thirty-one percent of people with Medicare currently live in counties with no Medicare managed care plans. (Medicare Rights Center)

"Although National Osteopathic Medicine Week represents one week of the entire year, the 47,000 D.O.s in this country along with the American Osteopathic Association remain committed to voicing our concerns about access to care issues for the sake of our patients and the public," states Anthony A. Minissale, D.O., president of the AOA. "And we will continue to voice our concerns until these issues are resolved."

For more information and statistics on access to care issues, visit the AOA's Media Center at http://www.aoa-net.org.

The AOA represents approximately 47,000 osteopathic physicians, promotes public health, encourages scientific research, serves as the primary certifying body for all D.O.s, and is the accrediting agency for all osteopathic medical schools and health care facilities.