well put!

You had better believe I expect to be paid anyway.
The consultation fee–if in fact I am being consulted, which is usually not the case–does not include free phone calls to patients as a required element of the previous visit. Those services are courtesies only, not entitlements. Don’t believe me? Check any CPT manual. Consultation–as defined by Medicare and others– requires written communication from the referring physician and which requires written reply to the referring physician. No communication to the patient outside the visit in person is required. You may think you are entitled to that phone call, but in fact you really are not, and you aren’t “paying” for it either. If you receive a call, it is an act of goodwill and a courtesy (if you can appreciate that, which I doubt.)

you are the delusional one – patients don’t pay PERIOD (except the copay for the actual visit, sometimes). Otherwise as much care is sought before and after (and often without) an actual visit as possible. And all of that is unreimbursable (by their insurance company).

Ever wonder why, seemingly, some doctors make patients come back into the office to follow up on something so simple? Now you know. (I certainly don’t endorse that but understand its stemming from the lack of insurance reimbursement for work outside the office visit).

Run an experiment. Have two consulting fees: one for the consultation and the other fsor the consultation with follow-up. I’m sure you’ll get a lot ofs takes for the first option.

The services you cite are simply part of the consultation fee.

Finally, lawyers these days generally flat rate most routine services.

here is a list of things that doctors do that DON’T get paid for

1-ER call, often involving caring for non-paying or medicaid patients in the middle of the night with NO hope for reimbursement

2-phone calls to patients to report labs /xrays or to follow-up on an acute condition

3-fielding calls from patients, nurses, pharmacists, homecare providers at all hours of the day & night

4-paperwork for referrals & communication with other doctors

5-reviewing labs & xrays/ct scans etc. after the patient is out of the office

6-discussing a patient’s care with the dozen family members who must each independently hear from the doctor

7-charting all of the above

Also PLENTY of doctors work for free in a voluntary capacity (retirees seeing clinic patients, doctors without borders, peace corps, etc)

On the other hand, lawyers bill by the minute from the minute the phone rings or pen hits the paper.

I don’t see the connection between “exempt/non-exempt” and “professional/’just a job’”. In my business, graphic artists are kept on a time clock specifically so that marketing staff doesn’t abuse their time. It doesn’t make the artists any less professional, and they all have at least a B.A.

I’ve seen plenty of collateral materials from hospitals and clinics which refer to doctors as “providers”. Sometimes such general terms are used only out of a desire for efficiency. Seriously doubt anyone uses “health care provider” specifically to demean doctors, and I find it kind of funny that some physicians would take offense at such a triviality — surely you have better things to worry about.

Why is a professional exempt from overtime pay, for example, while a “non-proessional”, even if salaried, must be paid overtime rates if they work more than 40 hours/wk? Why do you vote and have your legislators pass laws that exempt “professionals” from these protections, and then run around claiming there is no difference?

Hyprocrisy.

One hopes that your clinical skillset is of the variety that is superior to your psychic skillset as your assumption is neither correct nor valid. You have a job. No less important or more important than any other job in our society. The Professional Code of Ethics might work wonders for the credulous wide eyed masses but it won’t even get you out of the gate here. You are going to need to show some intellectual honesty in the discussion here. Show me a Professional Code of Ethics and I will show you a meaningless oath or piece of paper used to pull the wool over the eyes of the credulous and the mechanism for hiding (at times in plane site) unethical behavior.

~Criminallopath~

As an economist, who sees “professional ethics” as simply a way of justifying guild control of a highly information asymetric contract (that between physician and patient), I find your temper tantrum most unhelpful. Doctors will maximize their welfare–which includes financial rewards and, as is characteristic of professions, reputation and ego-benefits. That latter part (reputation/psychic rewards) distinguishes “professions” from other jobs. But, they are all jobs in that you wouldn’t do them if you weren’t paid.

doc tom