Comments on: My take: Preventive care, geriatricians, lifestyle http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians.html medical blog Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:15:05 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians.html/comment-page-1#comment-87073 Anonymous Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:40:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians-lifestyle.html#comment-87073 As an informed consumer of medical services, here's my take:<br/><br/>the powers that be have succeeded in taking the art out of the art of medicine in order to weed out non-prescribing types. Sadly, what I see down the line is an army of prescribers checking lookup tables with barely a glance at the patient. As an informed consumer of medical services, here’s my take:

the powers that be have succeeded in taking the art out of the art of medicine in order to weed out non-prescribing types. Sadly, what I see down the line is an army of prescribers checking lookup tables with barely a glance at the patient.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians.html/comment-page-1#comment-85336 Anonymous Thu, 01 May 2008 03:01:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians-lifestyle.html#comment-85336 Anon 5:03 needs to get out in the world a little more. Most societies approach to the problem of public demand for healthcare services is not to raise the fees of doctors, but rather within the limits of their abilities to control the emmigration of doctors, to force them into involuntary servitude--to use the power of the state to close off other options so they will acquiesce to accepting whatever rate the state wants to pay, their only other option being to discard their half-lifetime of preparation and leave the medical profession. <br/><br/>We already have anticipatory calls from baby boomers to address the long-term care expense problems by compulsory national service. Rather than pay the young a competetive market wage to wipe their incontinent butts they, in all their infantile narcissism, are more than happy to enslave them to do it for free. Don't think they hold your liberty in any higher esteem. Anon 5:03 needs to get out in the world a little more. Most societies approach to the problem of public demand for healthcare services is not to raise the fees of doctors, but rather within the limits of their abilities to control the emmigration of doctors, to force them into involuntary servitude–to use the power of the state to close off other options so they will acquiesce to accepting whatever rate the state wants to pay, their only other option being to discard their half-lifetime of preparation and leave the medical profession.

We already have anticipatory calls from baby boomers to address the long-term care expense problems by compulsory national service. Rather than pay the young a competetive market wage to wipe their incontinent butts they, in all their infantile narcissism, are more than happy to enslave them to do it for free. Don’t think they hold your liberty in any higher esteem.

]]> By: Leo http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians.html/comment-page-1#comment-85316 Leo Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:42:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians-lifestyle.html#comment-85316 No offense, but doctors like Buckeye Surgeon and Anon 5:03 are part of the problem. I care about my patients' well-being. I believe I practice good, ethical medicine. That said, why is it that if I don't sacrifice my income and livelihood for the "good of society" that I am just another greedy doctor?<br/><br/>In a free market, no one is "owed" anything, so I certainly don't think that doctors deserve a high income simply because we have spent lots of years in higher education. There are plenty of unemployed MBAs and PhDs. However, people clearly place a high value on their health (obvious from malpractice awards and the general attitudes of society toward healthcare), so if the demand is there then it should be compensated. In any case, we certainly should not be condemned for seeking fair value for our hard work. No offense, but doctors like Buckeye Surgeon and Anon 5:03 are part of the problem. I care about my patients’ well-being. I believe I practice good, ethical medicine. That said, why is it that if I don’t sacrifice my income and livelihood for the “good of society” that I am just another greedy doctor?

In a free market, no one is “owed” anything, so I certainly don’t think that doctors deserve a high income simply because we have spent lots of years in higher education. There are plenty of unemployed MBAs and PhDs. However, people clearly place a high value on their health (obvious from malpractice awards and the general attitudes of society toward healthcare), so if the demand is there then it should be compensated. In any case, we certainly should not be condemned for seeking fair value for our hard work.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians.html/comment-page-1#comment-85314 Anonymous Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:15:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians-lifestyle.html#comment-85314 "Compensation for geriatricians will improve over the next few years as we move into caring for the aging Baby Boomers."<br/><br/>LOL. <br/><br/>I want some of whatever it is you are smoking. “Compensation for geriatricians will improve over the next few years as we move into caring for the aging Baby Boomers.”

LOL.

I want some of whatever it is you are smoking.

]]> By: Michael Rack, MD http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians.html/comment-page-1#comment-85313 Michael Rack, MD Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:10:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians-lifestyle.html#comment-85313 I agree with anon 6:28. The revenue from office visits for geriatricians and primary care docs will continue to go down (on an inflation-adjusted basis). However, one possible source of increasing revenues for geriatricians is medical director stipends from nursing homes. Geriatricians could try to squeeze more $ out of the nursing homes. I agree with anon 6:28. The revenue from office visits for geriatricians and primary care docs will continue to go down (on an inflation-adjusted basis). However, one possible source of increasing revenues for geriatricians is medical director stipends from nursing homes. Geriatricians could try to squeeze more $ out of the nursing homes.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians.html/comment-page-1#comment-85309 Anonymous Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:28:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians-lifestyle.html#comment-85309 Gotta say anon 5:03, yours is one of the more uninformed posts. Not the medcine is a calling part, rather the idea the polyanna idea the geriatrics pay will increase because the baby boomers are becoming retirement age. Tell me anon 05:03, have you been paying attention to the latest medicare proposed budget cuts (10.1% on July 1st). Have you been paying attention to the fact that the day medicare goes net negative was just movwed up. Have you been paying attention to what medicare is now calling "never events" and will not pay for (hint: some of them are not close to never events). Have you been paying attention to how medicare picks a different specialty to drop the axe on (two years ago onc then rads then ???). Question for you ohh enlightened med student. Just WHERE do you think all this money is going to come from in this setting. Just because the boomers want the moon, doesn't mean they will get it. Gotta say anon 5:03, yours is one of the more uninformed posts. Not the medcine is a calling part, rather the idea the polyanna idea the geriatrics pay will increase because the baby boomers are becoming retirement age. Tell me anon 05:03, have you been paying attention to the latest medicare proposed budget cuts (10.1% on July 1st). Have you been paying attention to the fact that the day medicare goes net negative was just movwed up. Have you been paying attention to what medicare is now calling “never events” and will not pay for (hint: some of them are not close to never events). Have you been paying attention to how medicare picks a different specialty to drop the axe on (two years ago onc then rads then ???). Question for you ohh enlightened med student. Just WHERE do you think all this money is going to come from in this setting. Just because the boomers want the moon, doesn’t mean they will get it.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians.html/comment-page-1#comment-85308 Anonymous Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:19:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians-lifestyle.html#comment-85308 as our prestige and lack of respect go down,us gen x ers and gen y'ers will not put our job ahead of our families or our health. As for the shortage of primary care physiciansd and geriatricians , we need to ask for at least the MGMA median salary or not accept the job.( 160,000 at least ) as our prestige and lack of respect go down,us gen x ers and gen y’ers will not put our job ahead of our families or our health. As for the shortage of primary care physiciansd and geriatricians , we need to ask for at least the MGMA median salary or not accept the job.( 160,000 at least )

]]> By: The Happy Hospitalist http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians.html/comment-page-1#comment-85306 The Happy Hospitalist Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:41:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians-lifestyle.html#comment-85306 The idea of medicine as a calling went out the door when CMS turned medicine into a financially destructive game of take and take. The idea of medicine as a calling went out the door when CMS turned medicine into a financially destructive game of take and take.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians.html/comment-page-1#comment-85304 Anonymous Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:03:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians-lifestyle.html#comment-85304 If you don't feel that practicing medicine is a calling, then don't do it. My med school class is full of people who clearly didn't apply as an answer to that call. I am afraid of them. <br/>Also, my medical school talks a big game throughout the admissions process about training primary care docs, but now that we're in, we hardly hear a word about it. I wonder how many other schools are the same. <br/>Compensation for geriatricians will improve over the next few years as we move into caring for the aging Baby Boomers. From the 60's on, everything has been about them and will continue to be. They played in the 60's and 70's(admittedly I'm generalizing here), were greedy in the 80's and 90's and now they will want us to take care of them. Whatever changes occur in our broken health-care system will be driven by the demands of the baby-boom generation. You can bet that whatever changes do happen, they won't help the young, the working poor or the uninsured except as a by-product of making care better, more accessible and probably cheaper for the baby-boomers. If you don’t feel that practicing medicine is a calling, then don’t do it. My med school class is full of people who clearly didn’t apply as an answer to that call. I am afraid of them.
Also, my medical school talks a big game throughout the admissions process about training primary care docs, but now that we’re in, we hardly hear a word about it. I wonder how many other schools are the same.
Compensation for geriatricians will improve over the next few years as we move into caring for the aging Baby Boomers. From the 60’s on, everything has been about them and will continue to be. They played in the 60’s and 70’s(admittedly I’m generalizing here), were greedy in the 80’s and 90’s and now they will want us to take care of them. Whatever changes occur in our broken health-care system will be driven by the demands of the baby-boom generation. You can bet that whatever changes do happen, they won’t help the young, the working poor or the uninsured except as a by-product of making care better, more accessible and probably cheaper for the baby-boomers.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians.html/comment-page-1#comment-85302 Anonymous Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:40:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/04/my-take-preventive-care-geriatricians-lifestyle.html#comment-85302 Treating medicine as a true calling is just another form of complacency by a generation of docs who rode the third party payer gravy train for years and now are leaving such a mess for younger docs that we're suckers to treat this as anything but another job. Treating medicine as a true calling is just another form of complacency by a generation of docs who rode the third party payer gravy train for years and now are leaving such a mess for younger docs that we’re suckers to treat this as anything but another job.

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