Comments on: Rewarding the most needed doctors the least http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/rewarding-most-needed-doctors-least.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:28:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/rewarding-most-needed-doctors-least.html#comment-87916 Anonymous Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:06:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/10/rewarding-the-most-needed-doctors-the-least.html#comment-87916 But revised by whom if not by the generalists themselves, one by one. I mostly see a lot of complaining and wishing. Wish in one hand and .... in the other and see which fills up first. But revised by whom if not by the generalists themselves, one by one. I mostly see a lot of complaining and wishing. Wish in one hand and …. in the other and see which fills up first.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/rewarding-most-needed-doctors-least.html#comment-87858 Anonymous Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:31:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/10/rewarding-the-most-needed-doctors-the-least.html#comment-87858 While I don't disagree that there is a gross inequity in how generalists are compensated, I doubt that the only reason generalists are unhappy is the rate of compensation. The author you quoted is correct that the job needs to be "fun", but increasing compensation doesn't make a job more fun. It merely makes it more palatable to continue to do a job that is NOT fun. <br/><br/>Throwing more money at generalists will help retain more of them, but to make the job more fun, the day-to-day activities of generalists and their overall role in healthcare needs to be revised. While I don’t disagree that there is a gross inequity in how generalists are compensated, I doubt that the only reason generalists are unhappy is the rate of compensation. The author you quoted is correct that the job needs to be “fun”, but increasing compensation doesn’t make a job more fun. It merely makes it more palatable to continue to do a job that is NOT fun.

Throwing more money at generalists will help retain more of them, but to make the job more fun, the day-to-day activities of generalists and their overall role in healthcare needs to be revised.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/rewarding-most-needed-doctors-least.html#comment-87857 Anonymous Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:16:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/10/rewarding-the-most-needed-doctors-the-least.html#comment-87857 The problem is that as long as you buy into the notion that people ought not pay directly for their care--into third party payment and price fixing--then you are stuck in the position of begging for money from someone who doesn't need your service and may not value it at all. <br/><br/>Charge your patients a fair price. If they are not willing to pay a fee that keeps you doing primary care, then obviously the "need" is not so great after all and you can find something else to do with a clear conscience. The problem is that as long as you buy into the notion that people ought not pay directly for their care–into third party payment and price fixing–then you are stuck in the position of begging for money from someone who doesn’t need your service and may not value it at all.

Charge your patients a fair price. If they are not willing to pay a fee that keeps you doing primary care, then obviously the “need” is not so great after all and you can find something else to do with a clear conscience.

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