A fee-for-service system will inevitably lead some physicians to “create” more visits. After all, more visits = more revenue. Advising a yearly routine colonoscopy however, such as in this case, is crossing the line.
That being said, routine visits do have a place. For instance, I routinely see all my hypertensives and diabetics every 3-6 months (depending on their severity). That’s not churning, it’s just good medicine.
Old-timer Dr. Gott isn’t happy with what he sees:
I remember starting my practice 40 years ago, when people sought medical attention for specific complaints – or, if over 65 years of age, an annual examination. The medical culture has changed, and not necessarily for the better.
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- Op-ed: Doctors are forced into running a business
- Will medical tourism drive domestic doctors out of business?
- Should doctors want their children to become physicians?
- The data argues against an annual physical, but is it still needed?
- Should the MCAT grant extra time for students with learning disabilities?
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{ 7 comments }
It has nothing to do with profit. Doctors would never do anything for profit. It’s the LAWYERS who are making them do it.
I beg to differ with Dr. Gott. Most doctors are not looking for extra business; they’re incredibly busy the way it is.
Monitoring patients with certain conditions isn’t “churning.” Most of the time it’s just good practice.
Sorry, but requiring definite followup for anyone receiving any kind of therapeutic intervention, and anyone with a chronic problem, or suspected of having a chronic or progressive problem is required. Not to do so would be considered neglect. And that isn’t churning. Patients have more visits because they see more and different kinds of specialists. That is simply a fact of modern medical practice, not patient churning. Sorry, you can’t have more advanced care and then complaining about getting more care at the same time.
Well why are we seeing more and more specialists? You guys absolutely turn every topic to make you look like the saints. How many posts are there on this blog where you tell us over and over that you order all these unnecessary tests and send us to all these specialists only to protect yourself? Now it is practicing good medicine? And you and you and you will all swear to it. You guys are a hoot!
It is really sad to say that there a re good and bad doctors and in so saying there are doctors that care to genuinely follow up to care for patients they need to or ones they bond with, they are human, But on the other hand there are others who don’t have pleasant personalities and don’t have as many patients as other doctors and bump up thier money by giving 1/2 diagnosis’s to patients and not fully treat the problem when they can but they just need them to come back to make sure their targeted revenue is met.
Not everyone is like that but there are doctors like that, that is one of the reasons many people no longer trusts doctors or their diagnosis, and feel mor comfortable taking their health into their own hands by turning to holistic medicine and this could prove dangerous for them.
Anon 3:20am got rejected from med school and is still bitter.
anon 1:28…Anon 3:20 never applied to med school. All I did was speak the truth and you know it. You turn every situation to make yourselves look good. You have accomplished one thing though.
I no longer look up to my doc. like he is God or better than the rest of us. He is just a normal man who puts his pants on the same as the rest of the world.
I almost respect them more knowing they can get down and dirty and fight just like everyone else.
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