Comments on: Retail clinics don’t save money http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/retail-clinics-dont-save-money.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/retail-clinics-dont-save-money.html#comment-87295 Anonymous Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:32:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/09/retail-clinics-dont-save-money.html#comment-87295 Yet another post indicative of the failure of physicians to think like businessmen, or have any concept of the value of their time.<br/><br/>Who cares if costs at all venues rose? The question is did the patients pay more? And did they feel like they got better service? And did the physicians who staffed these clinics make more?<br/><br/>Here's another problem:<br/><br/>"Physicians make up for lost revenue by simply doing more. There will always a demand for care, evidenced by universally long waiting lists. Ways to squeeze in more patients, and subsequently performing more tests, can always be found"<br/><br/>Kevin, are you really so blind as to see the ignorance of this statement? You are selling a service which is in high demand, but you think the answer is doing more work to make more money. And you're hoping Congress changes that for you!<br/><br/>Who cares if the American public pushes back? The question is will your patients? Or will they value your time more, and your increased job satisfaction?<br/><br/>Think, physicians, think! Yet another post indicative of the failure of physicians to think like businessmen, or have any concept of the value of their time.

Who cares if costs at all venues rose? The question is did the patients pay more? And did they feel like they got better service? And did the physicians who staffed these clinics make more?

Here’s another problem:

“Physicians make up for lost revenue by simply doing more. There will always a demand for care, evidenced by universally long waiting lists. Ways to squeeze in more patients, and subsequently performing more tests, can always be found”

Kevin, are you really so blind as to see the ignorance of this statement? You are selling a service which is in high demand, but you think the answer is doing more work to make more money. And you’re hoping Congress changes that for you!

Who cares if the American public pushes back? The question is will your patients? Or will they value your time more, and your increased job satisfaction?

Think, physicians, think!

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/retail-clinics-dont-save-money.html#comment-87294 Anonymous Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:16:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/09/retail-clinics-dont-save-money.html#comment-87294 How about convincing some docs that they could do without ordering some of those expensive tests? At the urging of my PCP, I went to an allergist. She ran ~15-20 blood tests, at a discounted rate of ~$700. Adding on the scratch and patch tests, the allergist's discounted fees almost covered my entire $1500 deductible. The result? Nobody knows what I'm allergic to, but the allergist really got excited about my thyroid antibodies being off the charts (LabCorp reference rate 1-7, mine were 3000). Stick a fork in it, I'm done. How about convincing some docs that they could do without ordering some of those expensive tests? At the urging of my PCP, I went to an allergist. She ran ~15-20 blood tests, at a discounted rate of ~$700. Adding on the scratch and patch tests, the allergist’s discounted fees almost covered my entire $1500 deductible. The result? Nobody knows what I’m allergic to, but the allergist really got excited about my thyroid antibodies being off the charts (LabCorp reference rate 1-7, mine were 3000). Stick a fork in it, I’m done.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/retail-clinics-dont-save-money.html#comment-87293 Anonymous Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:31:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/09/retail-clinics-dont-save-money.html#comment-87293 Was the purpose of retail clinics to save money, or to meet a demand for care that traditional providers weren't meeting?<br/><br/>How about go back to the areas with retail clinics and see whether existing providers changed their offerings. Did they extend hours or open on a weekend? Did they, as one blogger describes, start up a service for 5-minute problems? <br/><br/>While competition might not result in cost savings if it shook up the way business was done with benefits to the consumer then it's not a wash. Was the purpose of retail clinics to save money, or to meet a demand for care that traditional providers weren’t meeting?

How about go back to the areas with retail clinics and see whether existing providers changed their offerings. Did they extend hours or open on a weekend? Did they, as one blogger describes, start up a service for 5-minute problems?

While competition might not result in cost savings if it shook up the way business was done with benefits to the consumer then it’s not a wash.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/retail-clinics-dont-save-money.html#comment-87292 Anonymous Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:30:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/09/retail-clinics-dont-save-money.html#comment-87292 "...There will always a demand for care, evidenced by universally long waiting lists..."<br/><br/>That is only true in healthcare systems where patients and physicians are playing with other peoples money. My HSA and cash patients are very careful about the relative value of my recommendations. My BCBS and Medicare patients rarely care about value or cost.<br/><br/>There is a very real moral hazard to having so much of our healthcare prepaid or paid by others. “…There will always a demand for care, evidenced by universally long waiting lists…”

That is only true in healthcare systems where patients and physicians are playing with other peoples money. My HSA and cash patients are very careful about the relative value of my recommendations. My BCBS and Medicare patients rarely care about value or cost.

There is a very real moral hazard to having so much of our healthcare prepaid or paid by others.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/09/retail-clinics-dont-save-money.html#comment-87291 Anonymous Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:25:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/09/retail-clinics-dont-save-money.html#comment-87291 Fact: most people seen at retail clinics or urgicare do not need to be seen at all.<br/><br/>What did people do 40 years ago? "Take 2 aspirin and call me in the morning." The fact is that most of the conditions treated at urgicare and retail clinics are either self limited, ie colds, or treated over the counter, ie poison ivy. <br/><br/>Urgicare and retail clinics do not lower costs. All they do, in a consumer driven world, is increase utilization. Furthermore, they undermine primary care doctors by "stealing" easy cases, leaving us with the 80 year old medicare patient with 20 problems. These clinics also present the doctors as the problem, ie "I don't like my doctor because he did not want to see me at 8 pm for a cold." Fact: most people seen at retail clinics or urgicare do not need to be seen at all.

What did people do 40 years ago? “Take 2 aspirin and call me in the morning.” The fact is that most of the conditions treated at urgicare and retail clinics are either self limited, ie colds, or treated over the counter, ie poison ivy.

Urgicare and retail clinics do not lower costs. All they do, in a consumer driven world, is increase utilization. Furthermore, they undermine primary care doctors by “stealing” easy cases, leaving us with the 80 year old medicare patient with 20 problems. These clinics also present the doctors as the problem, ie “I don’t like my doctor because he did not want to see me at 8 pm for a cold.”

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