Comments on: Physician-patient e-mails cut doctors’ salaries http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/07/physician-patient-e-mails-cut-doctors.html medical blog Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:59:44 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Vijay Goel, M.D. http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/07/physician-patient-e-mails-cut-doctors.html/comment-page-1#comment-77038 Vijay Goel, M.D. Tue, 03 Jul 2007 04:47:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/07/physician-patient-e-mails-cut-doctors-salaries.html#comment-77038 Strangely enough, there's actually a billing code for email...the issue is that collection is such a pain in the *!@#, that its more expensive to collect than to simply eat the cost. Why this has to go through insurance, I'm not quite sure, as you would expect dollar amounts to be reasonable (how expensive can an email be...especially when it often replaces other forms of communication). <br/><br/>Interesting article on email from the ACP at http://www.acponline.org/journals/news/jan-feb07/online.htm<br/><br/>I also have a broader discussion on the whole issues with insurance as the distribution mechanism for retail health care on my blog here:<br/>http://consumerfocusedcare.blogspot.com/2007/07/mandatory-health-insurance-tax-on.html Strangely enough, there’s actually a billing code for email…the issue is that collection is such a pain in the *!@#, that its more expensive to collect than to simply eat the cost. Why this has to go through insurance, I’m not quite sure, as you would expect dollar amounts to be reasonable (how expensive can an email be…especially when it often replaces other forms of communication).

Interesting article on email from the ACP at http://www.acponline.org/journals/news/jan-feb07/online.htm

I also have a broader discussion on the whole issues with insurance as the distribution mechanism for retail health care on my blog here:
http://consumerfocusedcare.blogspot.com/2007/07/mandatory-health-insurance-tax-on.html

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/07/physician-patient-e-mails-cut-doctors.html/comment-page-1#comment-77037 Anonymous Tue, 03 Jul 2007 04:15:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/07/physician-patient-e-mails-cut-doctors-salaries.html#comment-77037 Are there any standards for charging for email communicae? No?<br/><br/>How about out lawyer friends? How do they charge for email? (do they charge for the time spent: reading the email TO them, thinking what to write, actually writing, revising what was written?)<br/><br/>why can't we do the same? Are there any standards for charging for email communicae? No?

How about out lawyer friends? How do they charge for email? (do they charge for the time spent: reading the email TO them, thinking what to write, actually writing, revising what was written?)

why can’t we do the same?

]]> By: Mike http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/07/physician-patient-e-mails-cut-doctors.html/comment-page-1#comment-77034 Mike Tue, 03 Jul 2007 03:41:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/07/physician-patient-e-mails-cut-doctors-salaries.html#comment-77034 If they would just allow us to charge the patient equally for such a service, then problem solved! If they would just allow us to charge the patient equally for such a service, then problem solved!

]]> By: Happyman http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/07/physician-patient-e-mails-cut-doctors.html/comment-page-1#comment-77030 Happyman Tue, 03 Jul 2007 01:03:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/07/physician-patient-e-mails-cut-doctors-salaries.html#comment-77030 same with electronic records - gain in efficiency for increase in practice costs, with little or no hope to recoup. that is the real reason EMRs are slow to take off. same with electronic records – gain in efficiency for increase in practice costs, with little or no hope to recoup. that is the real reason EMRs are slow to take off.

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