The ripple effect of the Trump tariffs

Stephen A. Dickens, JD, MAEd, FACMPE, vice president of medical practice services at SVMIC, explains that tariffs on medical goods could have far-reaching effects beyond financial strain — potentially disrupting clinical care and day-to-day operations in independent practices.

“I definitely think this is going to ripple through patient care,” Dickens says. “The inability to get supplies that are needed to do the procedures or to provide the treatment” could force practices to make difficult adjustments, similar to what happened during the pandemic when providers had to improvise due to shortages in personal protective equipment.

Dickens encourages physicians and managers to begin evaluating what they currently use and whether safe, effective alternatives exist. “Are there things that maybe are no longer in use, that have been replaced with some new technology or new product, and we can revert back to some earlier version?” he asks. The goal, he says, is to identify appropriate substitutes that maintain quality without crossing clinical or ethical boundaries.

“Doctors do not want to put themselves in a position where they are doing something that is contrary to the standard of care,” he adds, “but I really think that’s where they need to look at their practice.”