Comments on: Continuity of care http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/08/continuity-of-care.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:46:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Justin DOhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/08/continuity-of-care.html#comment-87147 Justin DO Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:04:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/08/continuity-of-care.html#comment-87147 ANON,<br/><br/>What the heck are you talking about? Doctors have a desire to take care of patients and provide the personal touch. I feel this way as a physician. But when the payment for my service is low and decreasing why would I? If payment for in hospital services were increased, I guarantee you that more doctors would be following their own patients rather than signing over to hospitalists. <br/><br/>The reason this does not happen is because insurance companies do not want to pay more, and the hospitalists get patients out of the hospital sooner. It's a dollars and cents argument. If patients really want their personal family/IM docs to be taking care of them in the hospital, they would be paying the premium required to entice PCP's to see patients in the hospital. <br/><br/>This is not going to happen. Everything needs to be cheaper and faster. Patients are not going to pay hundreds/thousands of dollars more so that their personal doc will take care of them. <br/><br/>This is the reality. ANON,

What the heck are you talking about? Doctors have a desire to take care of patients and provide the personal touch. I feel this way as a physician. But when the payment for my service is low and decreasing why would I? If payment for in hospital services were increased, I guarantee you that more doctors would be following their own patients rather than signing over to hospitalists.

The reason this does not happen is because insurance companies do not want to pay more, and the hospitalists get patients out of the hospital sooner. It’s a dollars and cents argument. If patients really want their personal family/IM docs to be taking care of them in the hospital, they would be paying the premium required to entice PCP’s to see patients in the hospital.

This is not going to happen. Everything needs to be cheaper and faster. Patients are not going to pay hundreds/thousands of dollars more so that their personal doc will take care of them.

This is the reality.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/08/continuity-of-care.html#comment-87137 Anonymous Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:43:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/08/continuity-of-care.html#comment-87137 But you know this really does leave patients in a horrible place. Drs. say over and over how they want to be in charge of their patients, and yet, when we need them the most, they gladly turn us over to someone we don't know. All for the sake of not having to come to the hospital and following up with their patients.You can't stay totally in the loop and gain all this trust and respect you want when you throw us overboard (to strangers) every time we get REALLY sick. You can't have it all. But you know this really does leave patients in a horrible place. Drs. say over and over how they want to be in charge of their patients, and yet, when we need them the most, they gladly turn us over to someone we don’t know. All for the sake of not having to come to the hospital and following up with their patients.You can’t stay totally in the loop and gain all this trust and respect you want when you throw us overboard (to strangers) every time we get REALLY sick. You can’t have it all.

]]> By: Manalivehttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/08/continuity-of-care.html#comment-87131 Manalive Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:18:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/08/continuity-of-care.html#comment-87131 Five years ago my local hospital pushed out primary care docs in favor of hospitalists. Although the hospital administraters now have their shorter length-of-stays, they bitterly regret their decision; we primary care docs seldom refer to their specialists, nor to their radiology nor P.T.<br/>As for me, my harried weekend trips to the ER have been replaced by languid afternoons at the beach. I wouldn't return to the hospital at three times my old reimbursement. Five years ago my local hospital pushed out primary care docs in favor of hospitalists. Although the hospital administraters now have their shorter length-of-stays, they bitterly regret their decision; we primary care docs seldom refer to their specialists, nor to their radiology nor P.T.
As for me, my harried weekend trips to the ER have been replaced by languid afternoons at the beach. I wouldn’t return to the hospital at three times my old reimbursement.

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