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43 million Americans currently receive Medicare coverage. In their national survey, The Physicians Foundation found that nearly half of all primary care doctors nationwide were planning to either reduce the number of patients they saw or stop practicing entirely. The Physicians Foundation believes that the new Medicare cuts will only exacerbate problems of access and doctor shortages across the country.
Physicians' Foundation: Home (http://www.physiciansfoundations.org/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?id=186 - broken link)
A U.S. shortage of 35,000 to 40,000 primary care physicians by 2025 was predicted at last week's American Medical Association annual meeting.
In the survey, the foundation sent questionnaires to more than 270,000 primary care doctors and more than 50,000 specialists nationwide.
Of the 12,000 respondents, 49 percent said they'd consider leaving medicine. Many said they are overwhelmed with their practices, not because they have too many patients, but because there's too much red tape generated from insurance companies and government agencies.
Of course all of that will get much better with our lean mean bureaucratic machine known as the US Federal Government being big daddy dictator to all those evil doctors. So lets tally up who all is evil. Doctors, Wall Streeters, Insurance Companies, Profiteers of all kinds, Oil Companies, Jews -- I'm sure I left out a few hundred... You sure this new little fellow named Barack loves this country like he swore? Seems more like he actually did listen to that crazy Jew hating reverend for 20 years...
Until they find out they actually do have to pay some money into it.
They're not going to get free healthcare, free prescription drugs, free hospital care. It's not FREE. It's subsidized.
I live three doors down from Cranio-facial Surgeon. His wife drives a 7 Series BMW, the have a 5000 square foot brand new Mediteranian style house. In an exlusive neighboorhood. They own a medical office building and a home in the Cayman Islands. I just wonder how they will make after Obamacare kicks in? Did anybody see the movie The Jerk with Steve Martin where this Texan in a cowboy hat comes in a starts crying because the leather seats on his Lear jet were starting to dry out and crack and he didn't have the money for repairs?
Do you know how long it takes for one to become a craniofacial surgeon? In your opinion, it's appropriate if a lawyer, a pharmaceutical executive or an HMO executive makes double what that surgeon makes despite working less hours and enduring less school? Like any professional who undergoes a high level of education, why aren't doctors allowed to earn a good income? Why are high incomes limited to business professionals and lawyers. I'm a strategy consultant and we earn a healthy income and I've never had to apologize for my income. Why must doctors do so?
You may want to let your father know, it is the Dems who have been preventing the CMS cuts from the beginning. They have succeeded in doing that numerous times, with the help of some GOP. However, now the GOP is blocking that, for a few days. It will not affect Doctor reimbursements, but they are nervous about the future of it, particularly if the GOP continues to obstruct everything. Getting some info on what is happening with that issue, could be helpful to you. I don't think feeding you father false information will be helpful to him.
You are correct about this. A lot of physicians just assume the Democrats are bad for doctors in every regard but with regards to this Medicare cut, the Democrats not the Republicans are the ones who have prevented these Medicare cuts and are the ones who are discussing repealing the rule so that these stupid cuts don't have to keep being postponed each time. The Republicans are the ones who don't care about the doc fix and don't want to repeal the rule as that would cost the government 350 billion dollars, hence the reason it wasn't included in the health care bill. Republicans see this as government waste and don't want to repeal the rule and would rather just allow the 21% cut to take place.
Of course you get a lunch break, silly. That's when the Phamaceutical Reps bring you lunch and try to get you to push their drugs.
Thank you for providing this assinine response. It gives me an opportunity to clarify this huge myth the public has regarding doctors and the pharmaceutical industry.
1. I can agree not to see pharmaceutical reps. The reason I don't is because I get free samples of medication. I have to see drug reps to get those free samples. I give those samples to my patients. It saves them a lot of money. When you have a patient that doesn't have a lot of money and you can give them a 2 week to 1 month supply of free medicine, you will meet with drug reps to do this. It also gives patients some medicine prior to having to go to a pharmacy and fill out their prescription. What do I get out of this? Do you really think I enjoy having my day disrupted by a salesman in between patients just so I can horde free samples of medicine for myself? Please!
2. Despite getting free samples of medication, I still write for the generic drug and not the brand name the pharmaceutical rep provides me. This is standard practice. Even if we want to write for the brand name, we don't because it doesn't matter since the patient's insurance will only cover the generic. Some plans will cover the brand but in 90% of these cases, the patient prefers the generic because it's cheaper. The only time I write for the brand is when the patient requests that I write for the brand name.
3. Even if a doctor accidentally writes for the brand name, the pharmacist will switch the drug with the generic one because it's cheaper and/or their plan will only cover the generic. So the patients doesn't end up using the brand name anyway.
4. Yes, we are provided lunch about 2-3 times per week. It's usually sub sandwiches or something quick. Trust me, I would rather buy my own $10 sandwich than have to listen to a rep rant about the positives of a drug that we already use. And to be honest, most doctors don't get to eat that lunch anyway. It's usually only the staff that gets to enjoy because we are doing paperwork during that time.
5. Yes, at one time, doctors were seriously wined and dined by the Pharmaceutical industry. I remember 15-20 years ago, they would fly you to resorts and give seminars. They used to give free golf clubs and pay for golf at clubs. Yes, it was very extravagant. That was in the past. The pharmaceutical industry go together and agreed to no longer provide these perks to doctors beginning approximately 10 years ago. So it's been a long time since doctors were bribed by the drug companies. Now it's gone in the opposite direction and they won't even provide something as simple as pens...yes pens. They are limited to providing lunch and dinner if a speaker or presentation is done. I'm sorry but I would much rather have dinner with my family than go to a 3 hour lectured sponsored dinner at Black Angus in the evening.
6. There are a few doctors who are speakers for these drug companies. These are the doctors you should be attacking. These doctors get paid thousands for speaking engagements. These make up a tiny percentage of doctors. For these doctors to get these speaking engagements, they have to write a lot for the drug. I once got two speaking engagements. I didn't change the way I wrote for drugs. The representative for that company criticized me and asked why I was only prescribing a certain amount of their drug. He basically told me to write more for their drug or else. I told him in so many words that I wasn't going to change the way I practice despite you paying me to give a lecture. I never got another speaking engagement after that. I was fine with that. But there are doctors in that situation who would change the way they prescribe to get those speaking engagements. Yes, it is a form of bribery. And yes, this is a practice that you should criticize
Last edited by azriverfan.; 03-27-2010 at 09:29 PM..
Demand for medical schools slots far exceeds supply. It's been like this for decades.
So the slots reflect the fact that more and more are not wanting the degree. If thier was a demand there would be openings is the reality.There are not enough physicans to go around by any reports I have seen.Also primary care physicans are getting even hard to find., I know my physican is taking no new patients.Also look to pay cash in advance for any co-pay and deductable also.
This is a deliberate effort to kill as many old White people as possible. Political revenge against the demographic that didn't vote for you-know-who.
If you really believe that, you need some serious help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by skyegirl
Of course you get a lunch break, silly. That's when the Phamaceutical Reps bring you lunch and try to get you to push their drugs.
azriverfan had a good response to this below. I'd like to add. I work in a dr's office. If anyone thinks for one minute that doctors are dumb enough to be bribed by a few sandwiches, they are crazy. I'd rather do almost anything than talk to a drug rep. The only thing worse is trying to get a prior authorization from an insurance company to use the drug the dr. ordered instead of one the ins. company wants to pay for. It's torture.
Quote:
Originally Posted by azriverfan.
Thank you for providing this assinine response. It gives me an opportunity to clarify this huge myth the public has regarding doctors and the pharmaceutical industry.
1. I can agree not to see pharmaceutical reps. The reason I don't is because I get free samples of medication. I have to see drug reps to get those free samples. I give those samples to my patients. It saves them a lot of money. When you have a patient that doesn't have a lot of money and you can give them a 2 week to 1 month supply of free medicine, you will meet with drug reps to do this. It also gives patients some medicine prior to having to go to a pharmacy and fill out their prescription. What do I get out of this? Do you really think I enjoy having my day disrupted by a salesman in between patients just so I can horde free samples of medicine for myself? Please!
2. Despite getting free samples of medication, I still write for the generic drug and not the brand name the pharmaceutical rep provides me. This is standard practice. Even if we want to write for the brand name, we don't because it doesn't matter since the patient's insurance will only cover the generic. Some plans will cover the brand but in 90% of these cases, the patient prefers the generic because it's cheaper. The only time I write for the brand is when the patient requests that I write for the brand name.
3. Even if a doctor accidentally writes for the brand name, the pharmacist will switch the drug with the generic one because it's cheaper and/or their plan will only cover the generic. So the patients doesn't end up using the brand name anyway.
4. Yes, we are provided lunch about 2-3 times per week. It's usually sub sandwiches or something quick. Trust me, I would rather buy my own $10 sandwich than have to listen to a rep rant about the positives of a drug that we already use. And to be honest, most doctors don't get to eat that lunch anyway. It's usually only the staff that gets to enjoy because we are doing paperwork during that time.
5. Yes, at one time, doctors were seriously wined and dined by the Pharmaceutical industry. I remember 15-20 years ago, they would fly you to resorts and give seminars. They used to give free golf clubs and pay for golf at clubs. Yes, it was very extravagant. That was in the past. The pharmaceutical industry go together and agreed to no longer provide these perks to doctors beginning approximately 10 years ago. So it's been a long time since doctors were bribed by the drug companies. Now it's gone in the opposite direction and they won't even provide something as simple as pens...yes pens. They are limited to providing lunch and dinner if a speaker or presentation is done. I'm sorry but I would much rather have dinner with my family than go to a 3 hour lectured sponsored dinner at Black Angus in the evening.
6. There are a few doctors who are speakers for these drug companies. These are the doctors you should be attacking. These doctors get paid thousands for speaking engagements. These make up a tiny percentage of doctors. For these doctors to get these speaking engagements, they have to write a lot for the drug. I once got two speaking engagements. I didn't change the way I wrote for drugs. The representative for that company criticized me and asked why I was only prescribing a certain amount of their drug. He basically told me to write more for their drug or else. I told him in so many words that I wasn't going to change the way I practice despite you paying me to give a lecture. I never got another speaking engagement after that. I was fine with that. But there are doctors in that situation who would change the way they prescribe to get those speaking engagements. Yes, it is a form of bribery. And yes, this is a practice that you should criticize
Quote:
Originally Posted by texdav
So the slots reflect the fact that more and more are not wanting the degree. If thier was a demand there would be openings is the reality.There are not enough physicans to go around by any reports I have seen.Also primary care physicans are getting even hard to find., I know my physican is taking no new patients.Also look to pay cash in advance for any co-pay and deductable also.
I think you misread the post you are responding to. There are many more applicants than there are spaces available for them. Way more. Many qualified applicants are rejected.
Find a way to treat more patients to make up for the difference.
That's life.
The auto industry went through it. The airline industry went through it. Travel agents went through it. Life insurance sales people adapted. Buggy whip manufactures delt with it.
I'm sure there is a line out the door of candidates hoping to become a doctor.
For 'The Anointed One', as Sean Hannity calls him, to engage in his 'War on Specialists' because in HIS OPINION they make too much money is extremely short-sighted; so much for his claim of 'being a free market guy'.
His chastising of doctors because they 'overutilize' the tools of their trade (does he know what 'defensive medicine' is?) is equally stupid.
Telling the members of the AMA at their convention 'not to get too excited about him possibly advocating tort reform' was certainly a dead giveaway as to his real intentions.
Finally, the fact that the world famous Mayo Clinic will not be accepting any new Medicare patients means that 'going broke' is not a sustainable business model for the Mayo Clinic or any other privately owned business.
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