Responses to a recent WSJ op-ed wondering why patients have so many doctors:
The implication that average physician compensation is around $1 million is absurd; it is closer to $200,000. He also fails to mention that payments for “physician services” are only 21% of total health spending. There is data to suggest that reduced spending on physicians actually drives total spending higher due to effects on volume and quality. . .. . . The elephant in the room that Dr. Bach does not mention is the liability physicians face when they do not refer a patient to a “specialist” and something untoward happens . . .
. . . Patients want the care of specialists. For example, a diabetic patient with heart disease, neuropathy and insulin dependence will be cared for by a cardiologist, neurologist and endocrinologist. Clearly, cancer patients at Sloan Kettering will be cared for by an oncologist and a host of other specialists, with little contribution from a primary care physician . . . It is not fee for service driving this trend, but rather the desire of patients for what they see as the best care. . .
Related posts:
- What doctors can learn from patients in the health care reform debate
- P4P: Implications for patients
- Why doctors should reconsider ordering a CRP to screen patients for heart disease
- Op-ed: Doctors’ pay cuts save little in health costs
- Radiologists and communicating mammogram results to patients and their doctors
- When patients attack
- Can patients and doctors handle the truth?
{ 1 comment }
I recently was hospitalized for the first time in my life, a hip fracture. Bills came from the emergency room doctor, the radiologist, the anesthetist and the surgeon. The largest bill, by far, for two and a half days, was from the hospital and a close second was the ambulance. Believe me, those bills were precisely the ‘emergency’ I’ve kept a savings fund for, and were paid by return mail. I’m forever grateful for the excellent care and kindness from everyone, including the fantastic nurses and aides. People in this country just do not understand how wonderful our health care is.
Comments on this entry are closed.