Physicians will respond to financial incentives. So clearly, this makes sense:
Patients seeking an appointment with a dermatologist to ask about a potentially cancerous mole have to wait substantially longer than those seeking Botox for wrinkles, says a study published online today by The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.Researchers reported that dermatologists in 12 cities offered a typical wait of eight days for a cosmetic patient wanting Botox to smooth wrinkles, compared to a typical wait of 26 days for a patient requesting evaluation of a changing mole, a possible indicator of skin cancer.
If someone really wanted to solve the primary care crisis, it can be easily done – simply increase compensation and doctors will respond.
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Easily done? With what, a tax increase? How is that easy?
Some of you physicians, including Kevin, are completely lacking in any business sense at all.
http://www.plastic-surgery.net/cost-botox-injections.html
“…The average cost per BOTOX® session in the United States is $350 USD. In Canada, a single injection can cost from $300 to $500 CDN. Areas that require more than a single injection, such as the area beside the eyes where so-called “crow’s feet” tend to form, can range from $400 to $900 USD. Larger surface areas such as the forehead can cost as little as $600 and as much as $1300 USD….”
As I recall, that’s repeated every three months to maintain results.
Over a thousand, to over four thousand bucks a year, out-of-pocket, gladly paid, for crows feet. Yet you got a skin lesion that could kill you, and they don’t want to pay a dime.
“Easily done? With what, a tax increase? How is that easy?”
Yes, it is easily done. If the federal government would allow patients to pay the difference between their “allowable” and market rates this problem would be solved, and without any tax hike.
What should be done is to increase the scope of practice of others to break the Soprano like grip of a certain group over the healthcare system. Simply forking over more money to the Haliburtons of healthcare is not the answer.
“Soprano like grip”
Please. There are fixed number of law school spots, a fixed number of dental school spots, a fixed number of spots at colleges in almost any field.
And lawyers/dentists, and so many others have licensure boards, that mandate quality.
Stop acting like medicine is different and it’s out of the ordinary. It isn’t, You’re just a paranoid nut.
As Tony Soprano would say “This one, always with the drama”
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