Comments on: Retail health clinics and the free market http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/05/retail-health-clinics-and-free-market.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:56:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/05/retail-health-clinics-and-free-market.html#comment-75058 Anonymous Tue, 15 May 2007 04:05:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/05/retail-health-clinics-and-the-free-market.html#comment-75058 Package pricing already exists. At many leading medical centers around the country, there are offices whose purpose it is to provide package pricing for cash-paying patients who are usually coming from somewhere outside the USA. Generally there is a package price for all care including all surgery and postoperative hospital stay and followup. A well-known polyclinic in a lakeside US city does this for cardiac surgery. Package pricing already exists. At many leading medical centers around the country, there are offices whose purpose it is to provide package pricing for cash-paying patients who are usually coming from somewhere outside the USA. Generally there is a package price for all care including all surgery and postoperative hospital stay and followup. A well-known polyclinic in a lakeside US city does this for cardiac surgery.

]]> By: Happymanhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/05/retail-health-clinics-and-free-market.html#comment-75030 Happyman Mon, 14 May 2007 19:11:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/05/retail-health-clinics-and-the-free-market.html#comment-75030 This will lead to a FLOOD of demand for a handful of drugs like azithromycin, augmentin, rocephin, and cipro. These are the drugs that fit best into the "one size fits all" paradigm that NPs and PAs like.<br/><br/>Once a transcript of the visit is faxed to an unwitting pcp physician the clinics will absolve themselves of any responsibility towards quality of care of patient well-being.<br/><br/>As Dr. Grace-Marie Turner says "Package pricing for more complex surgeries, like knee replacement surgery, may not be far behind" - IS SHE NUTS??? Hopefully most see knee replacement as different from buying a tv set. This will lead to a FLOOD of demand for a handful of drugs like azithromycin, augmentin, rocephin, and cipro. These are the drugs that fit best into the “one size fits all” paradigm that NPs and PAs like.

Once a transcript of the visit is faxed to an unwitting pcp physician the clinics will absolve themselves of any responsibility towards quality of care of patient well-being.

As Dr. Grace-Marie Turner says “Package pricing for more complex surgeries, like knee replacement surgery, may not be far behind” – IS SHE NUTS??? Hopefully most see knee replacement as different from buying a tv set.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/05/retail-health-clinics-and-free-market.html#comment-75022 Anonymous Mon, 14 May 2007 14:35:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/05/retail-health-clinics-and-the-free-market.html#comment-75022 Every one of these will need a stack of business cards for local internists and family doctors who can see anyone with anything more than a hangnail. Anything serious or chronic and anything related to a chronic disease will be turfed. These clinics are all about drawing retail business, not getting clinic business. Once a patient has been there and been referred for outside care, they are still likely to return with their prescriptions, and while there do other shopping.<br/><br/>Doctors in the community shouldn't be concerned. This isn't likely to take anything from their plates. Every one of these will need a stack of business cards for local internists and family doctors who can see anyone with anything more than a hangnail. Anything serious or chronic and anything related to a chronic disease will be turfed. These clinics are all about drawing retail business, not getting clinic business. Once a patient has been there and been referred for outside care, they are still likely to return with their prescriptions, and while there do other shopping.

Doctors in the community shouldn’t be concerned. This isn’t likely to take anything from their plates.

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