Why Physicians Should Practice Medicine in Colorado

Family physician Richard Budensiek, president of the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians, moved to Colorado 20 years ago to start a practice because he was drawn to the outdoor recreational opportunities, major spectator sporting events, and the proximity to Denver. Since then, the Greeley, Colo.-based physician told Physicians Practice he has "discovered the joy of practice in Colorado."

What do you enjoy about practicing in Colorado?

With the stable malpractice climate and relatively low malpractice rates since passage of the key state legislation in 1988, Colorado has been a great place to start and
grow a practice. With participation of Colorado in the insurance exchangeand Medicaid "bump," as well as its Medicaid parity with Medicare payment schedules for primary care, Colorado seems to be on the road to development of a stable primary-care base.

Colorado is one of the healthiest states in the nation. The obesity rate is lower than any other state. In addition, Colorado has made strides to improve access to healthcare to its citizens. The development of the six RCCO ACO's [Regional Care Collaborative Organization, accountable care organization] across Colorado for the Medicaid population, the PCMH [Patient-Centered Medical Home] Pilot Project, and the CPCI [Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative] project with 75 primary-care practices across the state, and the award of the Pioneer ACO pilot to a large IPO in Colorado show that Colorado is in the "hunt" for innovative solutions to the problems facing the ever rising cost, quality, patient experience problems of medical care.

There is opportunity to practice in any environment in Colorado. Urban, suburban, rural, mountain locations are widely available to physicians. For primary care, there is great freedom to practice the full scope of family medicine.

Get additional physician perspectives on these states: Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / South Carolina / Tennessee / Texas / Vermont / Washington, D.C. / Washington / Wisconsin

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