Monday, July 31, 20067
A doctor has second thoughts about concierge medicine
He opts out of his contract and goes back to the primary care grind:
He knew he would have to part with most of his patients. But it proved much harder than he expected. "When you see the patients and talk with them, and you understand their financial situation and how difficult it was for them to afford [the concierge service]. . . . I had this 90-year-old lady who sold stock so she could pay it. I just could not stand it."
Comments
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Anonymous
I suppose it depends on what these stocks are to be used for. If they are the sole source of the patient's small retirement income, that is one thing; if the patient is wealthy, that is another. I don't believe it is my duty to forgo payment to fatten my patients' childrens' inheritances.
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Anonymous
Don't ever feel sorry for a patient...these are the same bastages that sue you when something goes wrong. Just keep referring them for more tests and consults or admit them so you cover yourself in case of a lawsuit and make enough money to take care of your families...these animals deserve such care...
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Anonymous
Anon 5:08, what has made you so bitter? Have you been in some kind of trouble?
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be responsible for yourself
Good grief. That is exactly what a 90 year old woman should be doing!! Selling stock or putting it into fixed investments to pay for the rest of her life needs. C'mon granny sell your Pfizer stock to pay for your own freaking medicines.
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Anonymous
anon 5:08 is a fricking nightmare of a physician. He hates everything and everyone. I wonder why he doesn't have his own blog. I guess it's because he knows noone would ever visit his site.
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Anonymous
I agree. I am a physician and I am offended by ANon 5:08's comments, and everyone else should be also. The best way to get sued is to have that precise attitude. Patients treated with respect don't often sue their physician.
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Anonymous
the problem is the artificial scarcity:
Post a Comment »I had one older gentleman complain about the cost of his health care and the cost of his wife's nursing home care and in the same breath remark that his undeveloped corner lot nearby had a market value of one million dollars. So context is everything here.
11:26 AM
4:08 PM
9:06 PM
9:46 PM
Or he could just be an actor playing a part to get people riled up.
12:03 AM
3:47 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-03-02-doctor-shortage_x.htm
their simply r not enough docs to have a 1:500 concierge ratio. If medical training slots were increased to hit this target, then being a concierge doctor is legitimate, w/o its calls for anti-trust action.
7:39 PM