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Dear Sir,

The Bermuda Sun ran an article on March 26 in which you interviewed Dr. Jennifer Attride-Stirling, CEO of the Bermuda Health Council.

Your paper quoted Dr. Attride-Stirling as making the following statement: "The absence of a set 'fee-schedule' for doctors and dentists also contributes to an environment where costs can soar unchecked."

This statement is misleading.

Physician reimbursement for hospital-based services is formalised under the Bermuda Hospitals Board Act (1970).

The Minister of Health sets the level of reimbursement in accordance with medical and dental charges regulations, usually on an annual basis.

These unit charges are published in the Government Gazette (Bermuda Sun) for all to see.

Currently, Bermuda physicians utilise a Fee Schedule that dictates the number of units we are entitled to bill per patient 'encounter', be it medical, surgical or anaesthetic.

We are not legally allowed to bill above the set amount. The level of reimbursement has been set well below average Medicare rates for the U.S.

In fact, fees in Bermuda are less than the 25th percentile when compared to Tampa Medicare reimbursement rates.

Physicians in Bermuda are tightly regulated for a good deal of the work undertaken in Bermuda.

As a result, Bermudian doctors have decided not to return home to practice.

We encounter increasing difficulty in getting quality non-Bermudian physicians to our island to practice.

We hope that this will clarify any misunderstanding that the public may have as a consequence of your interview with Dr. Attride-Stirling.

Dr. John Gaugain, President, Bermuda Medical Society

Dr. Burton Butterfield, President, Bermuda Medical Association

P.S. We note in yesterday's Royal Gazette that insurance premiums have gone up 14.7 per cent in the past year. This is not driven by reimbursement rates.

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