I was surfing the internets this am; as is my morning routine, and I came upon this article in Newsweek: http://www.newsweek.com/... . Some of it is kinda neat. The original doctor in the practice came to your home. You scheduled your appointments on the net, and the doctors use email, im and video conferencing to meet with you. All that is pretty cool. But here come the big BUT, the doctor who founded this clinic refuses to deal with his patient's insurance companies.
In the article the doctor said his debt from med school was too high to settle for a job as a PCP that would pay just 77k a year. So he came up with the idea of working through the internet and scheduling his appointments by a google calander and then making house calls. His idea took off a bit and now there are 3 doctors in his practice doing working this way, kinda.
The doctors require the first meeting be face to face and then all other meetings can occur either through email, telephone, im, or video conference. The first meeting is 150 dollars, every hour after that is 200 dollars, and they do not file on insurance. The patient is free to file the bills themselves. Only about 50 percent of the clinics patients have health insurance. The doctor recommends that his patients carry "catastrophic care" insurance.
The article goes on to say that the doctors at the clinic are making about 400k a year this way. This isn't saving healthcare, this is lining pockets. I like a number of the ideas the doctors have implemented. My doctor already emails me my test results and lets me know if I will need follow up appointments because of the results. I think this is a good idea. I can't imagine emailing my doctor because my kid has strep throat and needs antibiotics though. How does this work when you need a pretty standard test run?
In addition, my family pays well over 700 dollars a month for health insurance, this is through the state and is pretty good insuarnce. We pay mightly for health insurance and when a doctor refuses to file it because of the cost involved to him, it seems well greedy. I also know the costs of healthcare without insurance. We also pay all of my mother in laws medical out of pocket as she is not old enough for medicare and is uninsuarable through private insurance. The doctor's office has worked with us regarding her care, we pay 60 dollars a visit and the doctor tries mightly to prescribe the lower cost medications for her.
I do believe that doctors, after all that schooling and debt most incure, should make a good living. I am grateful for my doctors they are great guys and seem to care about me and my health. I live with Lupus and my docs are great; they are patient with me when something new starts to ache or swell or when my kidneys go wacko on me. I would never think they shouldn't have a good/better than average salary. But these docs making over 1000 dollars a day, seem excessive, and I don't think going for the golden ring is going to save healthcare. I think it is what is wrong with much of the industry.
I was a social worker for 7 years after college and graduate school. I incured debt. I never made much money as a social worker and I still manage to pay back my debt. Now that I no longer work in the social work field and have take a low stress, part-time job at least half of my earnings go to pay back my debt. I am in an enviable position though; I am able to do so financially because of my husband.
Maybe, what we should do is when a doctor goes to work as a PCP in an community, any community, the government could forgive at least a portion of their debt depending on where they go to work as a doctor. Just a though.