Friend quit his practice on Friday

[Dari]

He's about 40 years old and was a doctor at one of the hospitals connected with Columbia. He got sick of dealing with the insurance companies. He's been complaining that the rates are going down and the amount of people he has to see is increasing. So he just quit.

 

[Blackjack200]

Cool. Maybe he can drive a truck.

 

[techs]

Cool. Maybe he can drive a truck.

roflmao

btw its b.s. since doctors can just work for hospitals, hmo's etc where they don't deal with insurance companies at all. I have to conclude its a troll post of some kind, or the doctor just really didn't like being a doctor.

 

[Slew Foot]

roflmao

btw its b.s. since doctors can just work for hospitals, hmo's etc where they don't deal with insurance companies at all. I have to conclude its a troll post of some kind, or the doctor just really didn't like being a doctor.

And then because insurance is being a PITA, the hospital/HMO/etc.. you work for demands you see more patients in a smaller time frame and fill out more paperwork to satisfy said insurance company demands.

 

[Dari]

roflmao

btw its b.s. since doctors can just work for hospitals, hmo's etc where they don't deal with insurance companies at all. I have to conclude its a troll post of some kind, or the doctor just really didn't like being a doctor.

He was dealing with them. They will try to persuade him to return or someone will take over his practice.

 

[brianmanahan]

i will pray for your friend

 

[sze5003]

And who will pay off his loans? I doubt any doc will just up and quit. With the amount I've been paying out of pocket while I have insurance, I'm sure it's not as bad as you say.

My buddy is starting residency soon in emergency medicine. Your work consists about 30-35 hrs a week and you make 210k a year maybe more, when your residency is over of course.

 

[brianmanahan]

sometimes i regret not studying medicine

and then i remember how disgusting the human body is, and i snap out of it pretty quickly

 

[techs]

And then because insurance is being a PITA, the hospital/HMO/etc.. you work for demands you see more patients in a smaller time frame and fill out more paperwork to satisfy said insurance company demands.

Insurance companies don't demand you see more patients.

 

[rh71]

Maybe if doctors didn't charge insurance companies a million dollars for a simple procedure hoping to get them to agree to at least half of it. The games they play...

What do they say about making beds and having to lie in them?

 

[sze5003]

Maybe if doctors didn't charge insurance companies a million dollars for a simple procedure hoping to get them to agree to at least half of it. The games they play...

Yup my oral surgeon charged my insurance over 1k for an incision and drainage of an abscess. He made two small cuts, one on outside one on inside of my cheek and both were a little over $500 each for unknown reasons. I figured one procedure doesn't matter how many cuts you need to make, but nope.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

roflmao

btw its b.s. since doctors can just work for hospitals, hmo's etc where they don't deal with insurance companies at all. I have to conclude its a troll post of some kind, or the doctor just really didn't like being a doctor.

Well that's BS. People are getting tired of having constant roadblocks to rational treatment thrown up all the time. You can work for Moses, but he can't part the bureaucracy. That you work in a hospital doesn't make it less true. Omit one thing on a Medicare B order and you are done. Start over. It can't be handled with a phone call. Anyone else touching it invalidates the whole thing. The billing department, staff, anyone does anything and it's a violation of federal law which constitutes fraud, even though there's no trickery or deceit. There are a whole list of things which must be excruciatingly conformed to. It's hideous and getting worse and we and the docs are just learning how bad this red tape nightmare is. I can't wait to get out either. Giving care? Yes, please. Spending an hour or two or three jumping though ill thought out and nonsense regulation? No.

 

[techs]

Yup my oral surgeon charged my insurance over 1k for an incision and drainage of an abscess. He made two small cuts, one on outside one on inside of my cheek and both were a little over $500 each for unknown reasons. I figured one procedure doesn't matter how many cuts you need to make, but nope.

As doctors have told me when I worked in health insurance they don't want to leave any money on the table so they make sure their bill is higher than the insurance company will approve.

The whole system is fub'ared. Single payer is the way to go.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

The whole system is fub'ared. Single payer is the way to go.

You realize that the government is the party which is most responsible for the foolishness and obstruction to care, right? Na.

 

[techs]

You realize that the government is the party which is most responsible for the foolishness and obstruction to care, right? Na.

I worked in health insurance. It's the health insurance companies that are the problem. The more difficult they make it for doctors to get paid the more money they keep for themselves.

The government pushed for standardized billing to make it easier for doctors to get paid. The insurance companies fought it.

 

[squarecut1]

As doctors have told me when I worked in health insurance they don't want to leave any money on the table so they make sure their bill is higher than the insurance company will approve.

The whole system is fub'ared. Single payer is the way to go.

For better or worse this is what will eventually happen. Even if that eventually is 100 years from now

 

[Dari]

I worked in health insurance. It's the health insurance companies that are the problem. The more difficult they make it for doctors to get paid the more money they keep for themselves.

The government pushed for standardized billing to make it easier for doctors to get paid. The insurance companies fought it.

So if you know all this why are you being a dick about the OP?

 

[brianmanahan]

So if you know all this why are you being a d**k about the OP?

probably because you are the OP

 

[techs]

So if you know all this why are you being a dick about the OP?

Yeah, I was a little dickish. Sorry.

 

[brianmanahan]

Yeah, I was a little d***ish. Sorry.

dont give in so easily!

if you do he'll never respect you

 

[techs]

dont give in so easily!

if you do he'll never respect you

He still misses the point. Its only private and group practice doctors complaining because employed doctors have insurance taken care of. And they are in that kind of practice because instead of just making a very large salary they want to score the huge bucks a successful practice brings in.

 

[wabbitslayer]

Glad to see one of these guys quit practicing and do it for real. Always scares the hell out of me, going to see a supposed professional only to find out he's just practicing the whole thing.

 

[Dari]

Yeah, I was a little dickish. Sorry.

I think it's fucked up how he just up and quit. The assistants, receptionists, and patients now have to find other means. Also, again, he's only about 40 so it must've been a very terrible endeavor to just up and quit like that. From what Hayabusa wrote it sounds like the forms are onerous.

 

[Fern]

I worked in health insurance. It's the health insurance companies that are the problem. The more difficult they make it for doctors to get paid the more money they keep for themselves.

The government pushed for standardized billing to make it easier for doctors to get paid. The insurance companies fought it.

I owned part of a durable medical goods company (selling wheelchairs etc.). Billing to private HI companies was no where near the nightmare that is Medicare/caid.

Fern

 

[techs]

I think it's fucked up how he just up and quit. The assistants, receptionists, and patients now have to find other means. Also, again, he's only about 40 so it must've been a very terrible endeavor to just up and quit like that. From what Hayabusa wrote it sounds like the forms are onerous.

Yeah, but there are tons of jobs in hospital, HMO's, etc where the doctor gets a salary and the insurance billing is done by his employer. Oh, and malpractice is also paid for by his employer, in most cases.

Its the big bucks from a successful private and group practice that comes along with dealing with insurance companies who want to keep the premiums instead of paying it out to doctors.