What Happened to Doctors?

[Anonymous]

I for one loving popping over to DCUM just to hear all the ways I suck while at the same time have Anonymous asking for all sorts of health related questions so that they don't have to go schedule with their own doctor to fix their ailments or alleviate their health anxieties.

[Anonymous]

i dont trust Indian or Persian docs...I'm Persian BTW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s be honest: most docs trained in the last few decades don’t know what they are hearing through a stethoscope unless the diagnosis is “death.”

We have a problem here and it’s a lot bigger than in-person visit availability.

You sound crazy.

Actually not. Older doctors know how to do, and value, information from hands on exams. Many younger doctors just run a lot of tests that would not be necessary if they conducted an informed hands on exam.

I had this happen with an older teen. Dozens of doctors who spent like one minute doing a hands on exam. They dismissed symptoms as psychological, passed her along to another doctor, or made her undergo expensive tests that showed nothing.

I finally got her to an older doctor who spent twenty minutes doing a hands on exam, and he diagnosed her on the spot. Ran a total of three very simple blood tests to confirm.

Yup....miss my old PC doctor...he was a real doctor, did not run unecessary tests and used his critical thinking and experience to take good care of our family. These days, just trash all around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I for one loving popping over to DCUM just to hear all the ways I suck while at the same time have Anonymous asking for all sorts of health related questions so that they don't have to go schedule with their own doctor to fix their ailments or alleviate their health anxieties.

Ok. Do you disagree that Americans are unhappy with their healthcare? We're discussing why. Care to add something useful?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems that if you want what used to be normal healthcare, you have to concierge.

Have noticed this. Healthcare is changing rapidly, faster than we think. The old school style of care we took for granted 20 years ago is now mostly concierge at a stiff fee not covered by your insurance. We have excellent insurance and it's amazing how difficult it can be to find good doctors rather than doctors who just see you as a number and push you out quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I for one loving popping over to DCUM just to hear all the ways I suck while at the same time have Anonymous asking for all sorts of health related questions so that they don't have to go schedule with their own doctor to fix their ailments or alleviate their health anxieties.

Ok. Do you disagree that Americans are unhappy with their healthcare? We're discussing why. Care to add something useful?

I wish I could give a better answer. I've been closed to new patients for awhile so at this point I know my patients and they know me. That makes everything more smooth in the long run. In the meantime there was another post that basically listed off several things that a patient should do to get the most out of their visit: Come prepared with a list, starting with the most urgent issue. Know right away what the "chief complaint" is with whatever you consider relevant backup information. Understand that time can and will be limited most of the time so understand that there might not be the capacity to answer the "oh by the way" or "while I'm here..." questions. It's okay to schedule a follow up if absolutely necessary. Don't post new complaints over the patient portal, even if they're 'easy'. It really should only be for information updates or follow up on recently seen concerns. There will absolutely be blowback in the portal messaging space with charges for new issues as we're already seeing in the Mayo system and others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long story, but I am very familiar with current med school admissions and the types of people that admissions committees are favoring. Let’s just say that, if you think doctors are bad now, be afraid for the future. Very afraid.

Afraid of doctors with a whole bunch of extracurriculars in addition to a 3.8 undergrad GPA and a 520 MCAT score?

If you think that test scores have any correlation with good medical care, then you are a real deluded Kool Aid drinker . . . or a “med school mom.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long story, but I am very familiar with current med school admissions and the types of people that admissions committees are favoring. Let’s just say that, if you think doctors are bad now, be afraid for the future. Very afraid.

Yep. Holistic admissions.

Nope. I was referring more to the ruthless trust fund baby strivers who don’t give a crap about anything but themselves and their own agenda. But hey, the admissions committees incentivized this gunner sh!t, so good luck everyone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its become a factory line since obama care kicked in. welcome to a somewhat world of socialized healthcare that docs need to process as many as possible to turn a profit.

also dont forget, inflation has gone nuts but the insurance reimbursement to doctors has stayed constant so they cant afford to hire staff. Its really a sh*t show.

Its about to hit dentistry next.

For those who are blaming Obamacare-- what is the exact problem? (honest question.). I guess if Obamacare means more American insured and thus more people demanding medical care, it could simultaneously stress the system AND be a good thing.

Or are you referring to some other regulation in Obamacare-- requirement for zero-cost annual physicals and that kind of thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What Happened to Doctors is...

Obamacare.

Great narrative, but a horrible mess in the real world we live in.

Our system before Obamacare was also terrible. It was fine for people employed and with health insurance, but terrible for anyone else. They could have moved towards a true single payer system, but Republicans backed by lobbyists wouldn’t allow it.

I used to hate the idea of single payer because the government never does anything better than private industry. But the current insurance setup in this country is a disaster. I personally have good insurance and haven't been denied treatment or anything. But I never know how much something is going to cost me. The idea that a doctor sending a sample to the wrong lab or an ER doctor bringing in a specialist who works for a non-in-network contractor could lead to a huge bill is appalling. The idea that I have to predict my out-of-pocket costs for next year in order to put the right amount into an FSA is ludicrous. My dental insurance keeps denying claims because the office hasn't already put the bill through the main health insurance (the main health insurance won't pay-- the dental just wants to see it has been done). It took me some time to realize this was happening because I seem to receive about 20 meaningless insurance explanations of benefits a month-- most of them completely pointless-- and so missed the ones where they were denying something we were entitled to.

I mean, the system is so bad that it's unbelievable. If this is private insurance, then sign me up for single payer!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its become a factory line since obama care kicked in. welcome to a somewhat world of socialized healthcare that docs need to process as many as possible to turn a profit.

also dont forget, inflation has gone nuts but the insurance reimbursement to doctors has stayed constant so they cant afford to hire staff. Its really a sh*t show.

Its about to hit dentistry next.

For those who are blaming Obamacare-- what is the exact problem? (honest question.). I guess if Obamacare means more American insured and thus more people demanding medical care, it could simultaneously stress the system AND be a good thing.

Or are you referring to some other regulation in Obamacare-- requirement for zero-cost annual physicals and that kind of thing?

All I know is that the cost of healthcare soared after Obamacare and the quality declined. I am far from the only person to have experienced this. What I see happening is ever since Obamacare is the rise of a sharply segregated healthcare where wealthy people now pay concierge fees to get the better doctors while everyday people get pushed into lower quality, indifferent healthcare systems.

[Anonymous]

I’ve actually gotten quite good health care. It IS expensive and I hate how we don’t know how much anything costs…the system sucks. But, still…I have gotten excellent care. My doctors are attentive and if I have a bad experience, I pick another one. I’m dialed into a health network where I can make appointments online, pull up lab results, pay bills, message my doctor (and yes they message me back!)…My kids’ pediatrician is great and super accessible. I can see an array of doctors. Wait times vary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its become a factory line since obama care kicked in. welcome to a somewhat world of socialized healthcare that docs need to process as many as possible to turn a profit.

also dont forget, inflation has gone nuts but the insurance reimbursement to doctors has stayed constant so they cant afford to hire staff. Its really a sh*t show.

Its about to hit dentistry next.

For those who are blaming Obamacare-- what is the exact problem? (honest question.). I guess if Obamacare means more American insured and thus more people demanding medical care, it could simultaneously stress the system AND be a good thing.

Or are you referring to some other regulation in Obamacare-- requirement for zero-cost annual physicals and that kind of thing?

More people in the system with a decrease in reimbursements. Docs have two choices, not accept and go out of network OR see a lot more patients for the same amount of pay. Do you now understand now? Something has to give and it’s the quality of care. That’s what Obama care did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its become a factory line since obama care kicked in. welcome to a somewhat world of socialized healthcare that docs need to process as many as possible to turn a profit.

also dont forget, inflation has gone nuts but the insurance reimbursement to doctors has stayed constant so they cant afford to hire staff. Its really a sh*t show.

Its about to hit dentistry next.

For those who are blaming Obamacare-- what is the exact problem? (honest question.). I guess if Obamacare means more American insured and thus more people demanding medical care, it could simultaneously stress the system AND be a good thing.

Or are you referring to some other regulation in Obamacare-- requirement for zero-cost annual physicals and that kind of thing?

More people in the system with a decrease in reimbursements. Docs have two choices, not accept and go out of network OR see a lot more patients for the same amount of pay. Do you now understand now? Something has to give and it’s the quality of care. That’s what Obama care did.

Odd that people in other countries still are shocked at what is happening in the US, because it is so much worse than they could have expected, based on their experiences. And the outcomes data on systems assessment has never favored the US. Hmmm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its become a factory line since obama care kicked in. welcome to a somewhat world of socialized healthcare that docs need to process as many as possible to turn a profit.

also dont forget, inflation has gone nuts but the insurance reimbursement to doctors has stayed constant so they cant afford to hire staff. Its really a sh*t show.

Its about to hit dentistry next.

For those who are blaming Obamacare-- what is the exact problem? (honest question.). I guess if Obamacare means more American insured and thus more people demanding medical care, it could simultaneously stress the system AND be a good thing.

Or are you referring to some other regulation in Obamacare-- requirement for zero-cost annual physicals and that kind of thing?

More people in the system with a decrease in reimbursements. Docs have two choices, not accept and go out of network OR see a lot more patients for the same amount of pay. Do you now understand now? Something has to give and it’s the quality of care. That’s what Obama care did.

I hear what you’re saying but the situation before Obamacare was absolutely unacceptable, you just didn’t know about the misery among the uninsured.