Doctors make too much money

[Anonymous]

Went to the ortho. Was seen initially by the trainee. The tech staff did all of the work for the xray. Doc comes in, does one minor mechanical test, looks at the xray for 15 seconds, and then prescribes steroids and P/T. Co-pay was $50, and they're probably charging my insurance well north of $400+ for the entite visit not even counting the trays. I think his entire visit was less than 4 minutes long. So in otherwords, if we were to extrapolate my $500 (approx.) visit out to one hour, he's earning $6000/hour, roughly speaking.

That is just patently ABSURD. Yes, we all know the middlemen like insurance companies, PBMS, etc. are all terrible and are driving up costs, but why are doctors and their practices untouchable? We treat them like gods in America point they are immune to criticism, but often times they do minutes of work for outrageous fees that AI could probably do soon for 1/1000th the cost. Why can't we ever talk about how doctors are also fleecing America and driving up healthcare costs? They treat patients like cash cows. More volume = more cash = fancier Porsche and bigger house.

I am just disgusted with the entire practice of medicine in America from top to bottom.

[Anonymous]

They are not earning roughly speaking $6000/hr. From that point on, you have lost credibility in your rant.

[Anonymous]

All of a doc’s work is not face to face time with a patient.

[Anonymous]

Don’t go see them. Even better, drop health insurance. Why support them??

[Anonymous]

The money is for the facility, equipment, doctor, staff, and much more. Try living in Canada for a few years, especially if you have anything beyond routine medical issues and then report back.

[Anonymous]

An orthopedic surgeon makes like 500K if s/he doesn't own a practice. They also take on like 600K in educational debt unless their parents are wealthy.

[Anonymous]

That 15 seconds your doctor looked at your xray is not 15 seconds of his time. It’s years to be that educated to quickly diagnose your problem. But you don’t seem to really be logical here. Don’t go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The money is for the facility, equipment, doctor, staff, and much more. Try living in Canada for a few years, especially if you have anything beyond routine medical issues and then report back.

I lived in South Korea as a student. Doctor's fees were often less than $20.

Funny how no one ever wants to compare where things are often better. These were also follow-up for a broken ankle.

As if they dont have other staff and facilities there either...

[Anonymous]

My Dad's a retired pediatrician and the clinic/employer was basically demanding they see about 20 patients a day. My Dad ended up quitting because going part time with facility fees and insurance he'd actually be losing money. With high student loans the younger doctors are struggling a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The money is for the facility, equipment, doctor, staff, and much more. Try living in Canada for a few years, especially if you have anything beyond routine medical issues and then report back.

I lived in South Korea as a student. Doctor's fees were often less than $20.

Funny how no one ever wants to compare where things are often better. These were also follow-up for a broken ankle.

As if they dont have other staff and facilities there either...

Now you’ve really jumped ship!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The money is for the facility, equipment, doctor, staff, and much more. Try living in Canada for a few years, especially if you have anything beyond routine medical issues and then report back.

I lived in South Korea as a student. Doctor's fees were often less than $20.

Funny how no one ever wants to compare where things are often better. These were also follow-up for a broken ankle.

As if they dont have other staff and facilities there either...

Yeah but you can get noodle dish for 1-2$. Not apples-to-apples comparison.

[Anonymous]

Look at your EOB. They’re hardly making anything. Insurance has an allowed amount for services and it’s about 20% of the charges, so you’re $50 helps feed his family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The money is for the facility, equipment, doctor, staff, and much more. Try living in Canada for a few years, especially if you have anything beyond routine medical issues and then report back.

I lived in South Korea as a student. Doctor's fees were often less than $20.

Funny how no one ever wants to compare where things are often better. These were also follow-up for a broken ankle.

As if they dont have other staff and facilities there either...

How much student debt did doctors have? Nada, right?

[Anonymous]

I think the differences in incomes between specialists is too great so in the respect of agree your ortho makes you much but ffs, op-use your head!

How do you think the lights in building stay on, the tech gets paid, the receptionist greets you and checks you in, your insurance gets billed etc etc. you can’t think he’s getting anywhere close to your dubious “hourly rate.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the differences in incomes between specialists is too great so in the respect of agree your ortho makes you much but ffs, op-use your head!

How do you think the lights in building stay on, the tech gets paid, the receptionist greets you and checks you in, your insurance gets billed etc etc. you can’t think he’s getting anywhere close to your dubious “hourly rate.”

Agreed. Honestly, though, the whole practice is probably owned by the hospital which is owned by some venture capital firm. Your doctor probably just gets a salary the same way the x-ray tech and the receptionist do.