Comments on: "The compensation just isn’t there"

By: scalpel

scalpel — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:08:00 +0000

I seriously doubt that "300,000 children in the U.S. are diagnosed annually with juvenile ... rheumatic diseases."

Juvenile RA has an incidence of 10-29 per 100,000, for example.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:58:00 +0000

Over 40% of psych residents are foreign medical grads now.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:57:00 +0000

The free market and centralized fee regulation through RVS do not conexist in the same space. RVS is an abomination that no physician whose ancestors fought under the American flag for freedom should tolerate in his practice without hanging his head in shame.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:32:00 +0000

the article talks abuot $10,000+ spent before the patient with ptosis saw a neuro-ophthalmologist & was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis.

Really, a good primary care physician, especially in geriatrics, should consider this very early in the workup of ptosis. Neuro-ophthalmology eval after $10k in medicare billings is just a total rip-off of the system, and is what continues to kill primary care. These are the kinds of cases (and there are HUNDREDS of such examples) that will be missed by NPs & PAs in the move toward their taking over primary care, and illustrates perfectly the value of primary care.

And I agree w/Dr.Rack (cool name, btw) – pulmonologists love ICU patients, & keep them there as long as possible, bronching & bronching, and bronching again.

By: Michael Rack, MD

Michael Rack, MD — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:08:00 +0000

I wouldn’t include pulmonologists along wiht endocrinologists and rheumatologists. The pulmonologists I know perform a lot of procedures.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:00:00 +0000

I think we need to trust more in market forces. If people prefer to spend money on a high definition TV and Blu Ray player, than on a pediatric rheumatologist, then so be it.

Just don’t coerce physicians to be pediatric rheumatologists. Incidentally, the ones here in suburban Long Island do much, much better than the figures cited. You have to have faith in the free market.