Replies to post #51257 on Biotech Values

[Nerf]

Great point. But, alas, the altruism has long since left the medical profession.

Look at the trends, and the statistics. Medicare patients are less and less welcome in the physicians office. I stopped treating them the last 5 yrs I was in practice and quite honestly did not miss the headache. Medicade was even worse. They routinely requested a medical writeup, probably took an hour of my time once my staff found the chart, archived, or no. For that hour of time which would not and could not be delegated ($10,000 fine) I recieved a whopping $12! A week of 15 of those and I lost money. Would you go to 12 years of school to lose money?

Sorry to say it, but even med school students know where the bread is buttered.

[croumagnon]

"Because they are human beings in need of medical attention?
Because a doctor's job is to treat human beings in need of medical attention?"

Bravo PGS, and well said. Unfortunately, most of today's physicians are not in the profession in order to help patients and uphold the Hypocrates law but rather because the profession gives them the security of a huge secure income as compared to other doctors (PhD's) who have a higher education but much less secured income opportunities...

I am not a physician but I come from a long line of physicians dating back to my great grandfather in the 1800's. I have seen the attitude and approach of physicians change to the worse with every passing year. What used to be a motivation to help patients has now metamorphosed into a motivation to make more and more money at the expense of society, the government, and the patients... Of course not all are like that but the majority are heading in that direction...

One way to turn the tide is to implement a universal healthcare system where the doctor gets paid a set fee for any given patient and procedure, as opposed to different fees depending on what coverage the patient has. Another approach would be to disallow the doctor to bill for more than one patient visit per hour. I find it simply ridiculous that these days when you go to see the doctor you barely actually see the doctor! Sure you may spend over an hour at the clinic but it will be with the secretaries, the nurses, the assistants, the doctors assistants and/or alone in a closed room waiting for king doctor to show up for a whole two minutes and collect his $100's in fees... This is because the doctors have developped a system with time that allows them to see sonmetimes as many as 10 patients an hour and bill them all for that same hour!

Do not misunderstand me, two of my brothers are practicing physicians and many of my friends, so I am always rooting for the success of the medical profession. However, I think it has degenerated dramatically over the years and we are in dire need for a fix to the system...

[bladerunner1717]

PGS,

My best friend's mother is an injecting diabetic who has had two strokes, can barely walk and is losing her eyesight. I have been helping her fight the Social Security Administration in order for her to be declared "disabled" under their terms. After ten years and many appeals, we have finally prevailed with the help of a wonderful attorney. (The judge in the case refused to grant the attorney the money that she, the attorney, requested, even though my friend's mother was more than willing to pay the fees out her settlement. The judge was adamant. The attorney had to appeal the judge's ruling, and with the help of my friend's mother, got the judge to relent and allow for most of the original billing, finally freeing up the funds to pay the back payments. Believe me, what the attorney received was a pittance for all the time and effort that she put in. I say "thank God" for the trial attorneys, because no one could have saved my friend like this woman did.

The problem now is, as Davidal and Nerf pointed out, we can't find a doctor to treat her who will take Medicare.

I don't know what it will take to "fix the system," but I know for certain that poor and indigent people get screwed every which they turn in our healthcare system as it is now constituted.


Bladerunner

[dewophile]

"Because a doctor's job is to treat human beings in need of medical attention?"


of course - all we ask for is fair compensation