Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Rewarding primary care physicians for time spent with the patient

Kevin Pho, MD
Physician
August 19, 2010
60 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Abraham Verghese is a professor of medicine at Stanford University, and one of the most articulate physician-writers today.

He recently wrote an op-ed highlighting primary care’s plight, and focuses on the scarcity of time:

The science of medicine has never been more potent – incredible advances and great benefits realized in the treatment of individual diseases – yet the public perception of us physicians is often one of a harried individual more interested in the virtual construct of the patient in the computer than in the living, breathing patient seated on the exam table.Time is the scarcest commodity of all. Patients, particularly when it comes to their routine, day-to-day care, want a physician who has time to understand them as people first, and then as patients.

It’s been frequently discussed on this blog, with solutions ranging from paying physicians per hour to cash only practices.

There’s no easy answer, and worse, money isn’t even the root of the problem.  Often left unaddressed is the burnout that primary care doctors face, practicing in unpalatable environments where the doctor-patient relationship is obstructed by bureaucracy and paperwork.

Dr. Verghese applauds expanding coverage, but acknowledges that significant payment reform needs to come next, writing, “rewarding primary care physicians for time spent with the patient and taking away the fee-for-procedure incentives. Getting to know a patient and having the time to do so is a critical step; I am convinced it prevents unnecessary tests and saves money. It’s just good practice. And it’s what patients want.”

Maggie Mahar recently had a guest piece saying that primary care doctors are being rewarded, to the tune of a 10% increase in Medicare office reimbursements.

Not only is that not nearly enough to sway the tide sinking primary care, it leaves the practice burden facing most primary care doctors completely unaddressed.

Kevin Pho is an internal medicine physician and on the Board of Contributors at USA Today.  He is founder and editor of KevinMD.com, also on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.

Prev

Before ordering a test, know what to do with the result

August 19, 2010 Kevin 5
…
Next

Gifts and money influence physician prescribing

August 19, 2010 Kevin 15
…

Tagged as: Patients, Primary Care, Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Before ordering a test, know what to do with the result
Next Post >
Gifts and money influence physician prescribing

More by Kevin Pho, MD

  • Surgeon General’s warning: the dark side of social media on children’s mental health

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Unmasking wage disparity in health care: the truth behind the Elmhurst Hospital physician strike

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Is FDA-approved Veozah a game-changer in menopause hot flash treatment?

    Kevin Pho, MD

More in Physician

  • 10 things to know about your doctor that will get you better care

    Dawn Sears, MD & Kim Downey, PT
  • Physician burnout reimagined

    Claudia Finkelstein, MD
  • Government surveillance: How electronic prescription records are changing medicine

    L. Joseph Parker, MD
  • Intensive caring: Reminding patients they matter

    Harvey Max Chochinov, MD, PhD
  • Empowering health care workers amid consolidation

    Anonymous
  • Bad grammar makes me mad. I can’t help it.

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Pain medicine realities: beyond the opioid crisis

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD and Stephen E. Nadeau, MD | Conditions
    • There’s no place for “benevolent deception” in obstetrics

      Megan Nix | Conditions
    • Drug prices and fast approvals can harm patients

      Martha Rosenberg | Meds
    • Protecting your health from environmental threats [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • In the crosshairs: The False Claims Act’s new targets in health care

      Scott Ellner, DO, MPH | Policy
    • Navigating the evidence-practice gap in concussion care

      Sohaib Kureshi, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medicare coverage saves lives. Enrolling shouldn’t be this complicated.

      Catherine L. Chen, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Gaza’s medical crisis

      Tammy Abughnaim, MD and Emily Hacker, MPH | Physician
    • Antisemitism is at a historic high not just in other countries, but right here in America

      Joshua D. Lenchus, DO | Physician
    • Emergency department burnout: a cry for change

      Anonymous | Conditions
    • Medicine has become the new McDonald’s of health care

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Policy
    • Rising nurse practitioner burnout: charting and work-life balance

      Erica Dorn, FNP | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Protecting your health from environmental threats [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Efficient staffing partners for health systems

      Patrick Dotts | Policy
    • 10 things to know about your doctor that will get you better care

      Dawn Sears, MD & Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Can generative artificial intelligence help clinicians better manage patient messages?

      Spencer D. Dorn, MD, MPH and Justin Norden, MD, MBA | Tech
    • New primary care decision support tools make offloading below-license tasks from the EHR more important than ever

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Tech
    • Physician burnout reimagined

      Claudia Finkelstein, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 28 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Coronary Heart Disease by Age 45 Linked With Later Dementia
  • Progression Independent of Relapse Activity in Pediatric-Onset MS
  • Experts' Hopes for the Future of dMMR Uterine Cancer Treatment
  • Increased Mortality Risk for Young Adults on High Doses of Antipsychotics
  • U.S. Suicides Hit Record High; FDA Reviews Schizophrenia Drug; Psychology of Misinfo

Meeting Coverage

  • Experts' Hopes for the Future of dMMR Uterine Cancer Treatment
  • With an Old X-Ray, AI Can Detect High Risk of Lung Cancer in Never Smokers
  • New Data on Bimekizumab in Psoriatic Arthritis
  • Investigational Gene Tx Improves Diabetic Retinopathy Severity at 1 Year
  • Stronger Quads May Lower Risk for Knee Replacement Surgery
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Pain medicine realities: beyond the opioid crisis

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD and Stephen E. Nadeau, MD | Conditions
    • There’s no place for “benevolent deception” in obstetrics

      Megan Nix | Conditions
    • Drug prices and fast approvals can harm patients

      Martha Rosenberg | Meds
    • Protecting your health from environmental threats [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • In the crosshairs: The False Claims Act’s new targets in health care

      Scott Ellner, DO, MPH | Policy
    • Navigating the evidence-practice gap in concussion care

      Sohaib Kureshi, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medicare coverage saves lives. Enrolling shouldn’t be this complicated.

      Catherine L. Chen, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Gaza’s medical crisis

      Tammy Abughnaim, MD and Emily Hacker, MPH | Physician
    • Antisemitism is at a historic high not just in other countries, but right here in America

      Joshua D. Lenchus, DO | Physician
    • Emergency department burnout: a cry for change

      Anonymous | Conditions
    • Medicine has become the new McDonald’s of health care

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Policy
    • Rising nurse practitioner burnout: charting and work-life balance

      Erica Dorn, FNP | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Protecting your health from environmental threats [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Efficient staffing partners for health systems

      Patrick Dotts | Policy
    • 10 things to know about your doctor that will get you better care

      Dawn Sears, MD & Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Can generative artificial intelligence help clinicians better manage patient messages?

      Spencer D. Dorn, MD, MPH and Justin Norden, MD, MBA | Tech
    • New primary care decision support tools make offloading below-license tasks from the EHR more important than ever

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Tech
    • Physician burnout reimagined

      Claudia Finkelstein, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Rewarding primary care physicians for time spent with the patient
28 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...