Patients can blame the reimbursement system and malpractice environment for the lack of specialists in the ER:
The new study found several reasons why specialists avoid taking call. Many physicians are shifting focus from hospitals to their practices and outpatient facilities as more procedures are done outside of hospitals. Treating ED patients takes time and money away from office practices . . .. . . Specialists also are concerned that providing ED treatment raises their liability exposure, the study said. In addition, many doctors believe payment for on-call care is inadequate.
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{ 8 comments }
Thank you, totaliatrian federal government EMTALA, for making ER stabilization “free” for illegals and other uninsured. Oh, and thanks for the perpetual fee reductions, this year 10%. And a big thanks to the John Edwards wing of the democrat party for your massive insurance increases, especially for liability target rich ER environments.
It is amazing any specialist ever shows up at the ER.
Ed Sodaro MD
Why do we have to “blame” anyone? Does that accomplish anything? We can blame the specialists – they already make on average in excess of $150,000 and that’s not enough to get them to do a little more?
That’s what it really comes down to, after all. Physicians want more money. Admit it and stop blaming everyone else. There is nothing wrong with wanting to get paid. Perhaps if you stopped pretending you guys were so much holier than everyone else and you were performing this wonderful public service we could all start being honest with each other and move toward some solutions. Let it go – no one else is buying your nonsense anyway.
Ummmm… ya!!! Where do you get the idea it is not about the money. What do you think liability and lack of pay amount to… duh!!!
I don’t see any holier than thou attitude. I see teh poster before you talking about payment cuts and insurance increases.
So how much do I have to pay you to:
*wake up at any hour, come to ER and evaluate a complete stranger
*leave your own, paying patients waiting for you in the office (or the OR) to see a person who will not pay you for doing the same thing you were about to earn $1000 for doing
*increase liability with LESS income
*and not have the equiptment, backup or other specialists you want availible?
I get $800 a day for ER call – 24 hours of God only knows what and 1 in 3 patients I’m treating for free. If someone else has better people skills (or is a better doctor) and has a full clinic waiting for his services, why should she be required to see complete strangers for less than she could make elsewhere?
Do you know any other job like that??!! Well, you earn $12 per hour at JC Penny, but we are going to force you to miss that work to earn $7.50 per hour at Wal Mart because we need people there. See how long that would last.
Make it worth the abuse, and people will do the job. It’s called capitalism.
The people working at JC Penny make almost exactly the same as those at Wal-Mart so that point is silly. Also, it is real hard to feel sorry for someone who ONLY makes $800.00 per day for being on call.
$800/day might not be enough if you have to spend most of that day (or day and night, perhaps) for that money. Oh, it goes to your practice income, not home, so you can reduce that by 60% for the general overhead.
But what if instead of $800 the figure was somewhere around, uh, zero? That is what it is at my hospital. Nothing. Get up in the middle of the night for nothing. Leave the office in the middle of the day (and waiting patients) to work for nothing. Take someone to the OR, for nothing. Accept the inconvenience and the liability, for nothing.
I don’t care whether you make 1,000,000.00 a year, which I surely don’t, but I don’r owe it to anyone, person or hospital, to have to work for them for nothing.
That is what this issue is about. If you can’t understand that, it is probably because you don’t work, or if you do, nobody expects much from you anyway.
You don’t have to feel sorry for the specialist. Just don’t expect that specialist to be available for you at night.
“…..the specialists – they already make on average in excess of $150,000 and that’s not enough to get them to do a little more?”
That night’s sleep, one out of three nights. The time with your children. The risk of a bankrupting lawsuit.
Remember the clown who thinks that’s just “a little more”.
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