One example of what's wrong with America

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
so, is this about stupid patients or how much money you aren't making?

i could have told you family practice doctors don't make money.

I think it's more about people not paying for services they receive. Like the patient who is more concerned about making her trip to Vegas.

OP. I say go into her room with a deck of cards and tell her if she can pick the Ace of hearts on the 1st try she will be discharged by Thursday, if not, she needs to write your hospital a check for the amount she was going to spend in Vegas.

 

[zinfamous]

welcome to the world of medicine in the USA. Was it about 2003 or so that you lost that unquenchable desire for selfless service for the health and benefit of all humanity? I sure hope so.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: slsmnaz

Originally posted by: eits
try chiropractic... you'd have a badass practice being an md/dc.

you can treat people and fix the problem causing the symptoms rather than covering the symptoms only with drugs or surgery... and you can prescribe antibiotics and other necessary medicines if you need to without referring out.

so the real MD is the quack and the chiro is the healer? Wow...

when did i say that??

 

[HannibalX]

I would send every last one of them to collections.

 

[waggy]

a big part (well round here) is that we have many illegal imigrants who use the ER as a doctors office. 2 of the last 3 times i went in i have seen a young girl in the ER to get the immunization shots for the baby. once i seen a girl in the ER to get her baby some formula because she ran out.

We were there because my daughter was having seizures. We were sitting in the ER room for 2 hours BEFORE we were seen. I got the impression they didnt beleive me that she was having them (went to a local walk in clinic and the doctor told us to take her the ER saying they will fly her to the childrens hospital) and made us wait. even once we got in they treated me like shit until she actually had one (3 hours after we got in) and within 20 minutes she was flying to the childrens hospital.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Taejin

Originally posted by: eits
try chiropractic... you'd have a badass practice being an md/dc.

you can treat people and fix the problem causing the symptoms rather than covering the symptoms only with drugs or surgery... and you can prescribe antibiotics and other necessary medicines if you need to without referring out.

ignorant much?

no, not really...

in fact, by definition, it's the complete opposite of ignorant.

 

[HannibalX]

My town has a privately owned, for profit hospital. The ER was sucking up so much money from dead beats that the hospital was going to close it's ER except for people who's primary care physician worked at the hospital (basically closed to the public). The state forced them to stay open to the public and threatened to yank their operating license otherwise. Now a few years later this hospital is filing for bankruptcy because they are literally broke. They can't afford to pay anyone. Their buildings are falling apart.

My state offers free health insurance for people who can't afford it, but people don't fucking USE IT. All they have to do is go down and sign up. They have to meet an income requirement which supposedly goes up like 10k for every kid you have. So basically a single mother with 3 kids can make something like 60k and still get free state health insurance. But people just don't use it, they would rather run the hospital into the ground and then NO ONE will get treatment.

We don't need national health care, we just need these stupid people to use what is already available. My wife and I have always had health insurance. Sure it costs us money but there is no way we could pay medical bills without it! People are insane!

 

[Rumpltzer]

LOL! You went to med school and worked your ass off, and now you're making $37K in a good year because you're seeing people with no insurance.

So, are you intentionally trying to be a superhero or something? Are you gang affiliated and fear for your life if you leave the neighborhood? I mean, I notice that you're talking about Downey Regional and the MLK closure. My understanding of MLK is that it was north of Compton and south of Watts. I'm thinking that your location is a big part of your problem.

I don't know how it works with doctors and where they get assigned or if they have choices in moving, but have you considered working elsewhere in LA where you might have a better chance of actually getting paid to see patients??

 

[ryan256]

Originally posted by: 911paramedic
WBC of 24K? Yes, she probably required an ER visit.

The problem is many people use the ER as their primary source of care and never pay, so the hospital needs to make up for their losses. That means $12 for two advil. Same with the ambulance, $800 on up for a ride on an ALS rig.

Oh, and as you already know, health insurance is very expensive, that's why it's always an issue during elections. I do agree though, the system is broken.

P.S. You should know that people that age don't thing anything will happen to them. (The vegas trip was less expensive than an ER visit too, without a doubt.)

I used to think the same thing... until my appendix ruptured. My God that was the worst pain I have ever felt in my whole life. Fortunately I HAD insurance at the time... and damn good insurance too. Between the surgery and 2 hospital stays my total out of pocket was $400.

 

[911paramedic]

LOL, I meant to say think, not thing. Damn typos.

 

[eits]

look into independent contractorship... your collections will be like 3 or 4x higher

 

[BTA]

Doctors arent exactly all a bunch of saints themselves.

I HAVE insurance and I've been double charged 3 times already for 2 seperate procedures.

I can look it up and see that my insurance paid your ass. And you try to send me another bill for the same damn thing? And then refuse to send me an itemized bill?

 

[manlymatt83]

Originally posted by: slsmnaz

Originally posted by: eits
try chiropractic... you'd have a badass practice being an md/dc.

you can treat people and fix the problem causing the symptoms rather than covering the symptoms only with drugs or surgery... and you can prescribe antibiotics and other necessary medicines if you need to without referring out.

so the real MD is the quack and the chiro is the healer? Wow...

Chiropractic has its uses eits. As a fellow visitor to chiropractic (when in MA I get adjusted about twice a month), I can say it definitely helped me, but I wouldn't say it "fixed all of my problems".

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: mjuszczak

Originally posted by: slsmnaz

Originally posted by: eits
try chiropractic... you'd have a badass practice being an md/dc.

you can treat people and fix the problem causing the symptoms rather than covering the symptoms only with drugs or surgery... and you can prescribe antibiotics and other necessary medicines if you need to without referring out.

so the real MD is the quack and the chiro is the healer? Wow...

Chiropractic has its uses eits. As a fellow visitor to chiropractic (when in MA I get adjusted about twice a month), I can say it definitely helped me, but I wouldn't say it "fixed all of my problems".

i never said anything like chiropractic fixes all problems. that'd be a ridiculous statement.

i'm just saying that rather than giving tylonol with codeine for someone with a headache, adjust someone's spine and fix the structural problem causing the headache.

chiropractic can't do jack shit for someone with an infection or brown recluse bite or something...

 

[potato28]

Wow... I'm so glad that I have OHIP coverage. Hell, Collosus come here and see how swift the health care system is here. One of my family members had cancer, but she got surgery in under 2 weeks and she's now recovering. Another one had knee problems, got a knee specialist in Windsor to get the surgery done properly. There is no business side, it's all done for the betterment of the patient.

 

[Deleted member 4644]

well, first, maybe switch hospitals? You admitted in your post that you are purposefully targeting uninsured patients. Is there a way for you to avoid that? Are you technically a resident? Or an attending? But yes, that sucks.

 

[OutHouse]

maybe you should move and work in a different hospital? if you work in the ghetto you get ghetto pay.

or better yet why dont you go hang your shingle and start your own practice in a suburb where you know people have jobs with insurance.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: mjuszczak

Originally posted by: slsmnaz

Originally posted by: eits
try chiropractic... you'd have a badass practice being an md/dc.

you can treat people and fix the problem causing the symptoms rather than covering the symptoms only with drugs or surgery... and you can prescribe antibiotics and other necessary medicines if you need to without referring out.

so the real MD is the quack and the chiro is the healer? Wow...

Chiropractic has its uses eits. As a fellow visitor to chiropractic (when in MA I get adjusted about twice a month), I can say it definitely helped me, but I wouldn't say it "fixed all of my problems".

My Aeron > my chiropractor.

 

[Kntx]

So does the girl have appendicities?

 

[ICRS]

This is EXACTLY why we need a National Universal Healthcare.
The best thing you can do is to write letters and show people how much we need a National Universal Healthcare system.

 

[rh71]

Just in the other thread I responded to, someone didn't have insurance on their car. But like many they can probably sneak by should they get into an accident. And in your case, free healthcare. Why am I paying for this if I can get it for free?! Right? SoCal... stereotypes about the border / illegals come to mind. :|

BTW, it's nice to see your perspective on things when people don't go into years of school & debt just to come out seeking big paychecks. And I agree with many that you need to relocate.

 

[MisterJackson]

Be a Dr. for the Mafia and reapir their guys "under the table " (but up on the table actually....get it?! HA, I crack me up!). It's a cash only business...they pay you up front. Soooo....get fucked by legal patients....or get paid by crooks.....hmmmmm....


Srsly

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: ICRS
This is EXACTLY why we need a National Universal Healthcare.
The best thing you can do is to write letters and show people how much we need a National Universal Healthcare system.

Stupid idea. States already offer free health care for people who can't afford it, they just have to get off their lazy asses and USE IT. As for everyone else - you can pay for your own damn health care. The government does OWE you free health care.

 

[fisheerman]

The problem in america with the healthcare system is that people think that they have a "right" to healthcare. Like it is in the constitution or something.

The fact is healthcare cost big money and it isn't your right? So what happens is we have another large program that takes money from the haves and gives to the have nots....

What is tricky is your are dealing with peoples lives which puts moral and society implications from ejecting the have nots from the system.

But make no mistake about it in order for the "the system" to provide "free" healthcare you end up with situation like the ops or you end up with uncle sam slipping his hand into my pocket and taking it from me (and every other tax payer) and giving it away.
It's called "wealth redistribution" no mater how you look at it.

Although I am very generous there is no doubt people that I would choose not to give it to. But in our current state it looks like I am not going to get to choose in the near future.

-fish

 

[Crucial]

I don't get it. How can these people not pay and get away with it? Do they all not care if their credit gets destroyed? Are the hospitals not sending people to collections if they don't pay? Are they illegal and have fake SSN's?