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No, they don't. I know lots of primary care doctors who don't take call at all. They have agreements with hospitalists to take care of all their patients if they need to be admitted, etc.
Until recently, none of the ENT doctors who sometimes use our hospital facilities took any call at all.
I know ophthalmologists and dermatologists that don't take call.
It is a loss of cash though.
My main point is why be a primary care provider when the money sucks and you have to take call??? This leads to a PCP shortage and more people who go to an ER because the PCP is unavailable.
ER docs just work shifts.
Specialties that do take call make a ton more money example: cardiology.
My main point is why be a primary care provider when the money sucks and you have to take call??? This leads to a PCP shortage and more people who go to an ER because the PCP is unavailable.
ER docs just work shifts.
Specialties that do take call make a ton more money example: cardiology.
LOL...I don't know where you are getting your information, but taking call to the ED is often a money-losing proposition for specialists. Which is why they often won't do it if the hospital doesn't pay them up front for covering call.
And emergency medicine physicians can make a lot more money than docs that take call (like internal medicine, psychiatry, some surgeons, etc).
If you can "make an appointment" and wait for a time, it is not a true emergency. Perhaps this concept would be better used in an urgent care, or walk-in, clinic.
exactly, for those who want to make an appointment, go to a prime care type of facility. This is the reason there are so many problems with E.R. people are not using it for what is intended to be used for.
What operational overhead cost to an insurance company? Couple of years ago, my insurance provider jacked up the co-pay from $50 to $150.
I can see hospitals, and providers in general, cost more because a part of their costs is "make up costs" incurred from the uninsured.
The ER charges more b/c it is set up to treat life and limb threatening emergencies, whereas the average dr's office is not. Our office has a "crash cart" to do CPR until we can get the pt stabilized to take him/her to the ER down the hall. We have an old oxygen tank that we use to give oxygen if the pt needs it. We have some epinephrine in case someone has an anaphylactic reaction to a drug we administer. Regarding drugs we have on hand, it's oral tylenol, ibuprofen, benadryl, Rocephin (antibiotic), lidocaine (anesthetic), albuterol inhalation solution for asthma attacks and a few more. We don't keep a stock of all sorts of stuff to re-start hearts, restore breathing, etc. Nor do we have supplies to set bones, an X-ray machine, or an EKG machine (some offices do have those, but we have no need). We can do some simple sutures, all others we refer out. If someone needs an MRI, CAT scan, etc they go down the hall to the Imaging dept. If they need more labwork than a hemoglobin or a urine dip, they go to the lab. ERs have more staff. We are not really equipped to actually stay with a pt. for more than a few minutes to monitor him/her.
The ER charges more b/c it is set up to treat life and limb threatening emergencies, whereas the average dr's office is not. Our office has a "crash cart" to do CPR until we can get the pt stabilized to take him/her to the ER down the hall. We have an old oxygen tank that we use to give oxygen if the pt needs it. We have some epinephrine in case someone has an anaphylactic reaction to a drug we administer. Regarding drugs we have on hand, it's oral tylenol, ibuprofen, benadryl, Rocephin (antibiotic), lidocaine (anesthetic), albuterol inhalation solution for asthma attacks and a few more. We don't keep a stock of all sorts of stuff to re-start hearts, restore breathing, etc. Nor do we have supplies to set bones, an X-ray machine, or an EKG machine (some offices do have those, but we have no need). We can do some simple sutures, all others we refer out. If someone needs an MRI, CAT scan, etc they go down the hall to the Imaging dept. If they need more labwork than a hemoglobin or a urine dip, they go to the lab. ERs have more staff. We are not really equipped to actually stay with a pt. for more than a few minutes to monitor him/her.
I can see the extra costs to the providers. I mentioned insurance companies overcharging (a string of posts later) that started with this...
"Most insurances have a higher deductible for ER visits to discourage members from using the ER as an urgent care center."
I can see the extra costs to the providers. I mentioned insurance companies overcharging (a string of posts later) that started with this...
"Most insurances have a higher deductible for ER visits to discourage members from using the ER as an urgent care center."
Yes, and the reason for that is that using the ER is expensive for the reasons I gave. Even if you go there for a sore throat, all those resources are still available. You go to an urgent care for a sore throat, and they probably don't have any more resources than our office, maybe fewer, as a lot of them don't have doctors, they have nurse practitioners or PAs. Think of it as going to a fancy restaurant as opposed to Mickey D's for a hamburger and fries, or "killing a fly with a baseball bat".
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