Doctors are underworked and should see more patients for less money.

[thundley4]

Egalitariat (1,546 posts)

 
Now that 40 million uninsured people will now have access to healthcare, where will they go to get

it?

I've heard the argument that ERs will be freed up to focus on emergencies, because it will no longer be the primary care outlet for the uninsured, and that makes sense to me.

But every time I go to my primary care physician, it doesn't seem to me like there is a lot of spare capacity waiting on new demand to be created. Which is what the ACA will do.

I know this had to be contemplated and accounted for, but I haven't seen any meaningful analysis of the changing supply and demand dynamics that will come from the ACA.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002891553

That's a right wing talking point.

  snooper2 (13,207 posts)
1. That's the arguement the right wingers here in Texas are making..

Oh noes, we don't have enough doctors for everybody!

From my experience doctors can use a little larger workload...

Egalitariat (1,546 posts)
3. That's where I've heard it as well. But it does seem like a reasonable question.

Is increasing doctor workloads one of the ACA solutions?

LiberalLoner (3,955 posts)
2. One of the things I'd like to see happen for our nation is

lots of nursing/urgent care stations. I remember seeing nursing stations in England when I visited decades ago and I thought they were such a good idea. Let's face it, sometimes we don't need a doctor really, sometimes we just need a nurse's advice.

Just take a pill or a few hundred.

Fumesucker (25,685 posts)
5. I wouldn't worry too much about that..

Quite a few of them won't be able to afford to use the subsidized insurance they have thanks to copays and deductibles so the problem won't be that bad..

So they will continue to clog the the ERs like now?

SickOfTheOnePct (396 posts)
6. No doubt in my mind that there will be at least a short term shortage of providers

And it will be exacerbated in some places as practices decide that they won't take all insurance, which means patients with those policies will have fewer practices to choose from.

However, as people become comfortable with the notion of seeing a PA or CNP rather than a doctor, it will ease up a bit.

Ooops, another right wing talking point.   They forgot to mention the fact that lots of doctors won't take new medicaid and medicare patients either.

[JohnnyReb]

"Hello this Dr. Frankensteins answering machine. Dr Frankenstein is on the golf course and cannot be disturbed at the moment. If you have an emergency please go to the nearest ER. Thank you for calling Dr. Frankenstein. We value you as a patient but please do not get sick between 4 pm. and 9 am. week days and not at all on weekends.....and especial on Wednesday afternoon. That's his golf day."

[Skul]

"Hello this Dr. Frankensteins the President"s answering machine. Dr Frankenstein The President is on the golf course and cannot be disturbed at the moment. If you have an emergency please go to the nearest ER. Thank you for calling Dr. Frankenstein the President. We value you as a patient source of revenue but please do not get sick between 4 pm. and 9 am. week days and not at all on weekends.....and especial on Wednesday afternoon. That's his golf day."

Works for me. 

[DumbAss Tanker]

Between maintaining patient care standards for licensing, and the prospect of malpractice suits for any mistakes made under the pressure of time, I don't think the DUmmies will get a lot of medical care providers to sign onto that 'Underworked' meme.

[BlueStateSaint]

Between maintaining patient care standards for licensing, and the prospect of malpracice suits for any mistakes made under the pressure of time, I don't think the DUmmies will get a lot of medical care providers to sign onto that 'Underworked' meme.

I tend to think that if any DUmb**** did try to explain to an MD how he was 'underworked,' said MD might very well make said DUmb**** a patient of an ER.

[Bad Dog]

I tend to think that if any DUmb**** did try to explain to an MD how he was 'underworked,' said MD might very well make said DUmb**** a patient of an ER.

At minimum give said Dummie an extensive finger wave.  Perhaps with a mop handle.

[jtyangel]

LiberalLoner (3,955 posts)
2. One of the things I'd like to see happen for our nation is

lots of nursing/urgent care stations. I remember seeing nursing stations in England when I visited decades ago and I thought they were such a good idea. Let's face it, sometimes we don't need a doctor really, sometimes we just need a nurse's advice.

Now this pisses me off. We have these already dumbass. They are called minute clinics. Anyone can walk into one and it will cost you anywhere from 30 to 60 bucks. See that's what pisses me off. The access is there, but people don't want to pay even a dime to see a health care professional. 60 bucks to see someone for something I'd say is pretty reasonable. Those individuals are able to prescribe antiobiotics and such too. Most of the stuff they'd be likely to prescribe there is on the free or 4 dollar list too so you can get in and out the door in probably about any hour and 64 bucks--maybe another 15 if you need something like a strep test.

 

I have insurance and I used these clinics before because I knew they could handle the issue I had and thought it was better for my primary care physician to have the room for more serious issues. I went there as did my daughter to treat strep throat one time. I found it more convenient then scheduling an appointment and I'm sure if my doctor knew he would appreciate that I kept his office open for the more serious concerns. I wish people would just be  more reasonable with care and be willing to pay a few dollars for it and none of this would matter. As others said, having access to catastrophic plans would be a better idea. I think primary and preventive care would be more cost friendly if insurance wasn't involved with rates similar to those available at the minute clinics.

[Chris_]

We have full-service medical practices here.  All the work is done by nurses while the practice is managed by an MD.  They don't take insurance and they advertise much lower rates for regular visits and tests.  If you want your insurance to reimburse you, you have to file the paperwork yourself because they don't waste their employees' time shuffling papers trying to get paid for work they've already done.

[Ballygrl]

snooper2 (13,207 posts)
1. That's the arguement the right wingers here in Texas are making..

Oh noes, we don't have enough doctors for everybody!

From my experience doctors can use a little larger workload...

Says someone who has no idea what they're talking about. I worked for an Internist/Specialist for a few years, he'd start rounds around 7AM, start seeing Patients in the office at around 9AM, at lunchtime he'd head over to the Hospital to do a Consult or two, come back into the office to see Patients until around 4 or 5, then head back to the Hospital again to make rounds and do another Consult if needed, then he'd have to head to the Nursing Home to see his Patients there or to do a Consult.

Doctors deserve every f-ing dime they get!

[Chris_]

Has PCIntern commented yet?  I won't know what to think until I see a reply from him/her/it.

[thundley4]

One of the Walmarts has a clinic that is supported by one of the local hospitals.

[jukin]

I would like to point out that 0bama HellCare did nothing, NOT A DAMN THING, to the core problem of $20 aspirins and $3000/day hospital rooms. I would also like to know how the $100 billion dollars the government spent implementing HellCare helped make it more affordable. What about the 20,000 new IRS agents, how does that make health care more affordable.

All I see is a tax and ration while increasing the size and cost of the federal government. All that has happened to me is the rate of my premium increases has almost tripled.

[thundley4]

I would like to point out that 0bama HellCare did nothing, NOT A DAMN THING, to the core problem of $20 aspirins and $3000/day hospital rooms. I would also like to know how the $100 billion dollars the government spent implementing HellCare helped make it more affordable. What about the 20,000 new IRS agents, how does that make health care more affordable.

All I see is a tax and ration while increasing the size and cost of the federal government. All that has happened to me is the rate of my premium increases has almost tripled.

Didn't the IRS also spend a ton of money buying ammunition and guns?

[Karin]

Response to Egalitariat (Original post)
Mon Jul 2, 2012, 12:30 PM
 TBF (16,867 posts)
32. Maybe no more Friday golfing for the doctors ... nt

   **** you, commie.  I hope all these DUmbasses doctors retire on them.  I sounded the alarm bells about this to my congresscreep, way back when.  I'm acutely aware of this, in my area there is such a shortage of doctors.  To see a PCP, the wait can be months.  

Response to Egalitariat (Original post)
Mon Jul 2, 2012, 02:13 PM
 madmom (8,868 posts)
56. no more golf on Wednesdays?.....

Why in the hell should any doctor (or anybody for that matter) have to give up a hobby they love just for your whiny, sorry ass?  The world does not revolve you, ya know. 

[Chris_]

My doctor works 12-14 hours a day, volunteers his time and money, and gives to charity. 

What does DU do?

[miskie]

None of the doctors my family use are sitting around with nothing to do judging by the difficulty in getting an appointment. I would suggest that if there are doctors with lots of free time on their hands, that those same doctors probably suck.



(edit : spelling)

[jukin]

Somehow in the last two decades there is a movement that the productive and smart should be slaves to the lazy and stupid. That the lazy and stupid should be put on a pedestal and the smart and productive should be kicked in the teeth. It is the bizarro world brought to us by the big-gov totalitarians of the left.

[Bad Dog]

Somehow in the last two decades there is a movement that the productive and smart should be slaves to the lazy and stupid. That the lazy and stupid should be put on a pedestal and the smart and productive should be kicked in the teeth. It is the bizarro world brought to us by the big-gov totalitarians of the left.

Our only hope is that the smart & productive are more apt to vote.

[txradioguy]

8-10 years of college.

Internship at a local hospital

5-10 years to build a practice

And a bunch of lazy government tit sucking basement dwellers have the nerve to call them lazy?

[BlueStateSaint]

My doctor works 12-14 hours a day, volunteers his time and money, and gives to charity. 

What does DU do?

[JohnnyReb]

Are they rolling dice with their EBT card or...uh...uh..................

[Doc Savage]

But I thought everyone deserved a 4 day work week and much vacation...

[thundley4]

But I thought everyone deserved a 4 day work week and much vacation...

Good one.  According to the DUmmies, all doctors are living and working by the standards that they have set for everyone else.  They should be cheering the doctors on.

[zeitgeist]

"Hello this Dr. Frankensteins answering machine. Dr Frankenstein is on the golf course and cannot be disturbed at the moment. If you have an emergency please go to the nearest ER. Thank you for calling Dr. Frankenstein. We value you as a patient but please do not get sick between 4 pm. and 9 am. week days and not at all on weekends.....and especial on Wednesday afternoon. That's his golf day."

Ah yes, I actually remember when the doctor made house calls.  Those were the good old days.  

ETA:

I have had a nagging thing about the number of doctors available issue.  Anyone here read this link?

http://www.healthreform.gov/newsroom/primarycareworkforce.html/

Well it sounds good on paper.

[JohnnyReb]

Ah yes, I actually remember when the doctor made house calls.  Those were the good old days. 

My uncle got discharged from the NAVY and opened his practice in 1957. The little black doctors bag and night time house calls were common place.

Why didn't environmentalist try to save the " old country doctor" from extinction?