Do we need more doctors?

B

BA93

1,000+ Posts
This morning, I did something to my upper back that makes almost any movement extremely painful. After calling about 10 doctors, the earliest appt I could get is on Oct 31st. One doctor had a mid Dec opening. thanks but no thanks.

The only advice I received from them was to go to the ER, if the pain is bad enough. I have some old pain pills, so I will just consume those for a few days.

I don't expect doctors to be sitting around just on the hope that someone calls, but the whole system is flawed. Why not have more doctors or have some better system where I could search for availability on the internet. Its no surprise that ERs are jammed pack because even people with insurance sometimes have few options unless they can plan their emergencies well in advance.
 
You know. On Monday, and called my Doctor because of an ear infect, and she said she could see me the next day. My girlfriend called her doctor and said she could see me that afternoon, but advised me to go to an ENT specialist.Called Dr. Mock (one of the highest rated Docs in Dallas) and was in by 3:00.

So no, I don't think its a problem, Its just a matter of finding a good Doc. and sticking with them.
 
This kind of **** pisses me off to no end.

I have a couple of moles that I would like to have looked at, but when I would want to see a doctor while visiting Dallas, it was impossible to see someone. First, you had to find a doctor that was "seeing new patients" and then you had to set a time somewhere in the coming months.

I've had other similar issues with other parts of the body where you're left thinking- Really? In two months it will be totally healed. Without a doctor it would take 1 month, but with a doctor it would take ~3 days. I prefer 3 days you M'er F'er!!
 
Fievel - I agree with sticking to a good doctor, but I don't think I can go around finding a good doctor in every potential specialty in which I might need quick health care.

Read somewhere the increase in ER visits is mainly due to more middle class insured people than anything else. If you complain to a doc that you need to see someone today, they refer you to the ER.
 
Yes, we do need more doc, but we aren't going to be getting a whole bunch any time soon:

- Malpractice is pushing some out of the profession
- We haven't had a new medical school built/accredited in decades
- We as a nation do not educate our children in the mysterious ways of math and science, so we aren't really creating a very big pool of candidates. Have you noticed there are lot more Dr. Apu's than Dr. Goldsteins lately? There's a reason for that, a billion and some change Indians adn they get a great education in math and science.
 
Insurance companies make life hell for primary care providers. You almost have to be naive to go into those fields now. There are still people who really want to be pediatricians, GPs, family practice docs and internists (who don't sub specialize or work as "hospitalists"), but the reimbursement system kicks them in the nuts at every turn.

Imagine if your payroll department was an enormous corporation whose business model was built on paying you as small a fraction of your paycheck as possible.
 
"We as a nation do not educate our children in the mysterious ways of math and science, so we aren't really creating a very big pool of candidates."

Baloney.

"Tell the receptionist you're paying cash and you would have been seen that day. "

Exactly - pay cash then fill out the forms yourself.

Here is something odd - Doctors ove here in HK (not the public free ones) somehow see me whenever I want and I pay about 40 USD for the visit plus whatever drugs he gives me when I have a cold or food posioning or whatever.

The cost structure must be totally different over here. Doctors still drive mercs and the level of service at the doctor is much better than your average US or Brit facility.
 
The answer to this question is YES.

Obviously the healthcare system itself is VERY complex, but here are some things to think about. I was talking with a cardiologist friend of mine who pointed out that the total number of med. school spots in the US has not increased over the last about 20 years. Add to that the the number of women who are going to med school is WAY up. He is no sexist and neither am I, but he pointed out something very interesting about this. Female doctors end up working many less hours than male doctors. (taken as a whole). Doctors make good money, so many females start families and start to work only part time or not at all. Male doctors usually continue to work full time. This means that as a nation we are getting less doctoring hours per $ expended on medical education. Now, I don't have ANY issues with female doctors, OR with women who chose flexible work schedules for themselves and their families, BUT it does have an effect on health care.
Also, think about how many baby boomers there are right now. We have a large number of older people who are higher healthcare 'users' than younger folks. Again, this is on average, as I know there are older people who go to the doctor less than younger folk. Because my friend is a cardiologist I know what he says about that specialty more, but according to him there are about 6 cardiologist jobs per student who graduates from med school. These are existing hospital jobs, and doesn't even take into account folks who want to go into private practice for themselves.
 
UK
Median-Salary-by-Years-Experience---Job-Physician--Doctor-General-Practice-United-Kingdom_GBP_20081012093222-v1.0.jpg
 
I've seen my Dr. bill my insurance company $200-$300 for one office visit and the Dr. didn't spend a significant amount of time there. Specialists charge outrageous prices while primary care providers get the big squeeze.

But even then, a primary care doc who charges say $75 bucks for a simple office but spends 5-10 minutes with you is in my mind making a huge profit.

They get paid no matter if they cure you or not. Show me another industry that gets this. They actually make more money by having more sick patients. The entire system is backwards at the primary care level.
 
i've always been supremely annoyed at the lack of pricing structure for doctors. i was uninsured in my early twenties, and broke my arm. i remember asking over the phone how much my follow up visit after getting the cast off would cost. i could never get an answer. i eventually got a bill in the mail. took me about three years to payoff those bills.
 
Nope. The point is you don't need more doctors. You need a better healthcare system. One that focuses on prevention and treatment outcomes.
 
Yup you are right I purposely prescribe the highest cost drug for my poor medicare patients who barely make their social security checks stretch to next month. Are my intentions that transparent? Well I'm off to collect my stipend from Pfizer ciao!
 
surgeon,

don't be so flippant. we all see that every pen we fill out forms with is provided by some sort of pharma company hawking something. ****, models and demonstrations sitting in rooms are provided by pharma. clocks in the rooms, pens in the waiting rooms, note pads for your staff - all by drug companies.

you're barking up the wrong tree with that sarcasm. i'm a patient, and i know that you get dozens of drug reps a week dropping of swag.
 
Do I take the pens? Sure.... it cuts down on me having to purchase them. Do I prescribe based on a pen? Not quite. I follow medical algorithms when prescribing. Secondly the swag as you so affectionately refer to it is being done away with on Jan 1st by big pharma... guess you didn't know that? Do I listen to what the drug reps say? Sure. That way I can sign off and get free samples for patients. Now if you really wanted to change the system you would remove advertisements on TV for meds. Also don't assume you know what goes into being a doctor from your looking glass on the outside, it is always much easier to play armchair QB.
 
i don't pretend to know what it is like being a doctor. i merely give the impression i receive at the doc's office from a patient's perspective.

and no, i did not know that the swag was drying up. great. next up: DTC marketing.

look, believe it or not, i'm on ya'll's side for most stuff. except when i see a doc cop some sarcasm or openly shill for insurance companies (i'm still pissed about a certain proposition that docs roundly accepted a few years back). i've got some great friends in medical school. i've got some great docs as relatives (not blood relatives, but might as well be).

but pharma's influence over the medical industry has alway annoyed me. just as much as i don't know how much an office visit would cost annoys me.
 
The huge issue with prevention isn't convincing physicians that it's a good thing. Physicians have been shouting that from the rooftops for decades because its so obvious. Patients and insurers don't want it because it would require them to think and/or plan ahead. Americans don't need more health care; Americans need to stop giving themselves diseases for which they cannot afford the cures.
 
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