Doctors Want Nothing To Do With Medicare

[umbrella39]

It's OK winnar, I don't think you ever have to worry about becoming a doctor so your post is moot as usual. How much is forum fluffing paying nowadays?

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: Zedtom

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: winnar111

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
paperwork too much of a hassle.

1. Doctors don't do Medicare paperwork. They have a billing staff or service that handles the paperwork. I provide some of the IT support for my physician father's office and his staff says that Medicare is one of the easier providers to deal with.

2. Medicare is almost 100% electronic billing at this point. Maybe these docs left Medicare years ago and the author of the article was just looking for someone to bitch.

Medicare might be easier to deal with compared to the insurers and the HMO's, but it is not a piece of cake for those who have to do the billing. The people I know that deal with Medicare on a daily basis would laugh at your portrayal of 100% electronic billing. It is a DOS based system that requires a phone call to straighten out even the most minor issues.

Like I said, I provide some of the IT support. I assure you that no DOS is involved. Their workstations are Windows XP and they bill directly from within their medical billing software. Medicare's software for printing various claim documents is Windows based.

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: Hacp
There is too much medical regulation. Plus, malpractice lawsuits and insurance drive up costs for all kinds of doctors. We need to deregulate the medical industry and allow the market forces to bring costs down. More government is not the answer.

Deregulation worked really well for the banks. It will work equally well in the Medical Community when every shithead can call himself Doctor and peddle snake oil. Yes, prices would drop for "medical" care, but what you would receive wouldn't exactly be considered medical care by modern scientific standards.

Malpractice does need to be changed. Probably the biggest change would be the addition of criminal charges for the patient if they lied about or neglected to mention their condition and then sued the doctor when he failed to read their mind. So many malpractice cases are nuisances.

On the other hand, I wouldn't reduce a verdict like this for a second:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/conte...circumcision_suit.html

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: winnar111

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: winnar111

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
paperwork too much of a hassle.

1. Doctors don't do Medicare paperwork. They have a billing staff or service that handles the paperwork. I provide some of the IT support for my physician father's office and his staff says that Medicare is one of the easier providers to deal with.

2. Medicare is almost 100% electronic billing at this point. Maybe these docs left Medicare years ago and the author of the article was just looking for someone to bitch.

And what do you think happens when billing gets more complicated? You hire more staff, which cuts into your income...all for meager compensation.

Of course, since doctors lose money on several Medicare/caid procedures, they have to know what those are, and avoid them.

Not really. EMR limits the amount of data entry needed for billing. I used to work for a decent size hospital and they maybe had 15 people total in the Medical Billing department. My father's practice (2 very busy doctors) has 3 part timers who handle it.

 

[smashp]

Maybe these DR's need to move in to this century and get an electronic EMR and PM systmem that automatically submits their medicare claims to a clearing house for payment.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: CitizenKain
Truly the solution is for only the rich to have healthcare, that way the poor people can die the streets like are supposed to. -The Republican Party

People will die on the streets if there is no socialized healthcare. -The Demoncrat Party

 

[CitizenKain]

Originally posted by: Hacp
There is too much medical regulation. Plus, malpractice lawsuits and insurance drive up costs for all kinds of doctors. We need to deregulate the medical industry and allow the market forces to bring costs down. More government is not the answer.

Yes, we've all seen just how well deregulation works on other industries, lets try medicine.

 

[fskimospy]

Doctors hate the idea of UHC so much that a majority of them support it.

Oh Winnar.

 

[Zedtom]

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Like I said, I provide some of the IT support. I assure you that no DOS is involved. Their workstations are Windows XP and they bill directly from within their medical billing software. Medicare's software for printing various claim documents is Windows based.

I will check into my sources even though I think the databases are archaic even if they are windows based. Any way you slice it, medicare makes it difficult for the health care providers to interface with them.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: Hacp
There is too much medical regulation. Plus, malpractice lawsuits and insurance drive up costs for all kinds of doctors. We need to deregulate the medical industry and allow the market forces to bring costs down. More government is not the answer.

Deregulation worked really well for the banks. It will work equally well in the Medical Community when every shithead can call himself Doctor and peddle snake oil. Yes, prices would drop for "medical" care, but what you would receive wouldn't exactly be considered medical care by modern scientific standards.

Malpractice does need to be changed. Probably the biggest change would be the addition of criminal charges for the patient if they lied about or neglected to mention their condition and then sued the doctor when he failed to read their mind. So many malpractice cases are nuisances.

On the other hand, I wouldn't reduce a verdict like this for a second:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/conte...circumcision_suit.html

Total malpractice costs, in both premiums and settlements, comprise less than 2% of US healthcare spending.

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Have the government build medical universities and turn out a few million doctors on scholarship in return for working 15 years in government hospitals. The cost of medicine will come down as the assholes who are in medicine for money starve away.

I'm sorry... but you could you name me a profession that people aren't in for the money??

Also, I suggest you read up on the doctor situation in England. The country is so desperate for doctors that they are importing them from around the world.

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: winnar111

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
/snip

paperwork too much of a hassle.

1. Doctors don't do Medicare paperwork. They have a billing staff or service that handles the paperwork. I provide some of the IT support for my physician father's office and his staff says that Medicare is one of the easier providers to deal with.

2. Medicare is almost 100% electronic billing at this point. Maybe these docs left Medicare years ago and the author of the article was just looking for someone to bitch.

Winnar's words, not mine. (fixed quoting) Otherwise I believe you are correct in your assessments.

Actually those aren't Winnar's words, they are the words of the New York Times.

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: Hacp
There is too much medical regulation. Plus, malpractice lawsuits and insurance drive up costs for all kinds of doctors. We need to deregulate the medical industry and allow the market forces to bring costs down. More government is not the answer.

Deregulation worked really well for the banks. It will work equally well in the Medical Community when every shithead can call himself Doctor and peddle snake oil. Yes, prices would drop for "medical" care, but what you would receive wouldn't exactly be considered medical care by modern scientific standards.

Malpractice does need to be changed. Probably the biggest change would be the addition of criminal charges for the patient if they lied about or neglected to mention their condition and then sued the doctor when he failed to read their mind. So many malpractice cases are nuisances.

On the other hand, I wouldn't reduce a verdict like this for a second:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/conte...circumcision_suit.html

Total malpractice costs, in both premiums and settlements, comprise less than 2% of US healthcare spending.

I agree that the premiums and settlements aren't a large amount, but the fear of malpractice causes doctors to issue unnecessary tests to CYA, makes OBs do unnecessary c-sections, etc. Nuisance lawsuits also create significant stress for doctors and takes time away from patient care, family, study, and sleep.

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: eskimospy
Doctors hate the idea of UHC so much that a majority of them support it.

Oh Winnar.

They support national health INSURANCE not Universal Health Care.

There is a HUGE difference.

UHC means that our healthcare system is run by the government, ala Canada or England.

National health insurance just means that everyone has health insurance similar to the Japanese or French systems.

 

[winnar111]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: CitizenKain
Truly the solution is for only the rich to have healthcare, that way the poor people can die the streets like are supposed to. -The Republican Party

People will die on the streets if there is no socialized healthcare. -The Demoncrat Party

http://www.newcoalition.org/Article.cfm?artId=23705

Across the country, only 600,000 of 1.5 million total physicians are currently willing to treat Medicare patients, the study notes.




Yay for Medicare for all! :roll: Ted Kennedy mustve been really boozed up when he came up with that idea.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Good for them.

Govt. will continue to infiltrate the healthcare system. They will push the overhead costs onto the taxpayers and service providers. Good service providers will eventually give the govt middle finger for trying to make them work for peanuts and take their clients outside of the system. Bad providers will have no other choice but to stay. End result... people with money still get better care. People without money get the crappy care. Doctors are pissed off. Taxpayers are pissed off. Tons of money lost in the overhead, overall costs continue to skyrocket, financial burden on taxpayers continues to skyrocket. eventually they will give the middle finger too.

Im not saying I like the idea of people 'dying on the streets', but i am saying wishing that wasnt the reality isnt going to change how the world works.

 

[sandorski]

When Single Payer systems were being setup in Canada many decades ago, Doctors and Medical Associations were very opposed to the idea. After they were established, the same Doctors/Medical Associations did a 180 and were very supportive of it. People tend to fear change, often with completely false Ideas as to what that change is.

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: winnar111

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: CitizenKain
Truly the solution is for only the rich to have healthcare, that way the poor people can die the streets like are supposed to. -The Republican Party

People will die on the streets if there is no socialized healthcare. -The Demoncrat Party

http://www.newcoalition.org/Article.cfm?artId=23705

Across the country, only 600,000 of 1.5 million total physicians are currently willing to treat Medicare patients, the study notes.




Yay for Medicare for all! :roll: Ted Kennedy mustve been really boozed up when he came up with that idea.

Hard to say what those numbers really mean.

I'm certain my kids' pediatrician doesn't take Medicare. My wife's OB probably doesn't take Medicare either, but might bend if an 80 year old needed a hysterectomy. I don't believe my family practice doctor takes Medicare, but then again, his practice caters to working age adults. The Geriatric office is around the corner.

If Medicare were expanded to cover everyone, I'm sure all of the above cases would take Medicare.

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
Good for them.

Govt. will continue to infiltrate the healthcare system. They will push the overhead costs onto the taxpayers and service providers. Good service providers will eventually give the govt middle finger for trying to make them work for peanuts and take their clients outside of the system. Bad providers will have no other choice but to stay. End result... people with money still get better care. People without money get the crappy care. Doctors are pissed off. Taxpayers are pissed off. Tons of money lost in the overhead, overall costs continue to skyrocket, financial burden on taxpayers continues to skyrocket. eventually they will give the middle finger too.

Im not saying I like the idea of people 'dying on the streets', but i am saying wishing that wasnt the reality isnt going to change how the world works.

Overhead in Medicare is lower than with private insurance. There's no rich CEO or shareholders to take a cut.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: ProfJohn

Originally posted by: eskimospy
Doctors hate the idea of UHC so much that a majority of them support it.

Oh Winnar.

They support national health INSURANCE not Universal Health Care.

There is a HUGE difference.

UHC means that our healthcare system is run by the government, ala Canada or England.

National health insurance just means that everyone has health insurance similar to the Japanese or French systems.

You're right, of course a national insurance system would almost certainly look a lot like medicare. Hence my point: Winnar is a moron.

 

[Hacp]

Remember the universal health insurance plan in Mass? Its going bankrupt.

 

[MovingTarget]

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: Zedtom

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: winnar111

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
paperwork too much of a hassle.

1. Doctors don't do Medicare paperwork. They have a billing staff or service that handles the paperwork. I provide some of the IT support for my physician father's office and his staff says that Medicare is one of the easier providers to deal with.

2. Medicare is almost 100% electronic billing at this point. Maybe these docs left Medicare years ago and the author of the article was just looking for someone to bitch.

Medicare might be easier to deal with compared to the insurers and the HMO's, but it is not a piece of cake for those who have to do the billing. The people I know that deal with Medicare on a daily basis would laugh at your portrayal of 100% electronic billing. It is a DOS based system that requires a phone call to straighten out even the most minor issues.

Like I said, I provide some of the IT support. I assure you that no DOS is involved. Their workstations are Windows XP and they bill directly from within their medical billing software. Medicare's software for printing various claim documents is Windows based.

I can speak from experience here, too, as I supported medical software as recently as 2007. Hell, the one I supported basically ran the entire financial dept of a hospital. Everything was itemized as far as procedures, supplies, etc., and billing was part of that system. The only paperwork involved for the most part was getting patients to sign the plethora of gvt-mandated forms/waivers and scanning them into the system (if they didn't have an electronic means of signature, which was an option). No DOS involved. (UNIX backend/windows frontend). Plain old DOS probably wouldn't be up to the privacy/security standards now in place for EMR.

A lot of offices simply outsource this work, too to companies like the one I worked for. Doctors themselves are pretty removed from the billing process, despite being aware of it.

 

[JSt0rm]

its funny how one one conservative side you have someone arguing that medicare is good enough and then on the flip another conservative posting an article saying nobody wants it. lol. Read my posts in the other medical thread hahaha.

 

[MovingTarget]

Originally posted by: ProfJohn

Originally posted by: MovingTarget

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: winnar111

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
/snip

paperwork too much of a hassle.

1. Doctors don't do Medicare paperwork. They have a billing staff or service that handles the paperwork. I provide some of the IT support for my physician father's office and his staff says that Medicare is one of the easier providers to deal with.

2. Medicare is almost 100% electronic billing at this point. Maybe these docs left Medicare years ago and the author of the article was just looking for someone to bitch.

Winnar's words, not mine. (fixed quoting) Otherwise I believe you are correct in your assessments.

Actually those aren't Winnar's words, they are the words of the New York Times.

They were in winnar's post, with added emphasis by winnar. Still not my words.

 

[Wreckem]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: SammyJr
All the results of Republican efforts to starve the beast. Things like paying full retail price for prescription drugs can really take a toll.

And concierge medicine, like private health insurance, is great IF YOU HAVE MONEY. Doesn't work so well for fixed income types on Social Security... but wait, you guys want to destroy that too!

Republicans havent been at the helm in congress for 2 years and lost the last election big time. Medicare hasnt been starved. It is the biggest single outlay of non-discretionary spending in our budget.

And its spending will only grow exponentially over the next 30 years.