Dr Elizabeth Mumper – Elizabeth Mumper, MD, FAAP, has a general pediatrics practice (Advocates for Children) and a practice devoted to the care of children with autism and other neurodevelopmental problems (Advocates for Families). She is also chief executive office of The Rimland Center for Integrative Medicine, Lynchburg, Virginia
Insurance Companies Percentage of Incentive Payment Criteria for Kids Vaccines
If I weren’t an independent physician and I was employed by a hospital group, my compensation, my pay is very likely related to how many kids I vaccinated in my practice incentivized by insurance companies. If I don’t meet incentive payment criteria for getting a certain number of vaccines to kids, then my job might be in jeopardy.
One of the things that can happen is that if a pediatrician gets a certain percentage, it’s usually between 85 and 95 percent of their patients fully up to date on their vaccines. By the age of two years, they get what is called an incentive payment, which I call a kickback from the insurance companies.
What Income was Lost and How She Determined Vaccines for Kids in Her Practice
I calculated that between 2009 and 2019, no, 2007 and 2019, I lost over $400,000 coming into my practice because I never met that insurance companies incentive payment criteria. I never gave in my practice, um, MMR vaccines prior to the age of two for white kids and prior to the age of three for African American kids because of some data that was done by the CDC but then not reported. So, you know, my finance guy was like, Liz, you’re losing $400,000. I was like, you know, I’m going to choose to look at it this way. I ended up paying that kid about $114.20 to not get as many chronic diseases. I think that’s a pretty good way for me to spend my money.
