And both the act and the 'waste' descriptive are crimes at this point.

Not to dis your position but I think that we have a significant waste problem, in addition
to the massive corruption problem.

Mistakes made in billing
Duplicate charges
Physicians that stop by to get their names on the payment list
Hospitals overcharging for tests
Massive awards being granted for malpractice

Granted a whole lot of waste is corruption and I value your effort to
clarify and focus where we should concentrate our efforts in reforming
the problems with health care...

Did you know why it can be difficult to find a doc that accepts medicaid/medicare?

Some examples of medicare/ medicaid bullshit: Did you know dr's PAY a hundred bucks every year to fill out a stack of forms,50 or so pages just to be able to take medicaid? On top of that there is constant hassles from the insurance companies that refuse to cover meds patients NEED,so the doc has to wrangle the prescriptions out of the company dealing with obviously non educated people trying to explain why the patient needs the meds? My endocrinologist spends HOURS every day fighting red tape and know-nothing bullshitters acting as gatekeepers to get medicines approved for her patients.And medicaid pays much less than insurance companies do. Insurance wants to kill medicare/medicaid.And the corporate gatekeepers hassle the doctors until they cannot take MA patients because of the extreme hassles the Hom's that have corrupted medicaid/medicare cause them.

...accepting Medicaid.
The system is so rotten and faulted, it really needs to be changed radically! It's fucking sickening!

Be sure you pick up your cut.

Let me clue you in, it's not the doctors, nurses, or medical staffs getting rich.

It's the corrupt money people who don't know squat about medicine who enjoy these "villas and yachts and overseas vacations."

The more money everything costs, the more these parasitic insurance, hospital, and pharmaceutical company business "administrators" can skim off for themselves.

Being an obgyn is dangerous work. You can get your ass sued off. Moms and babies die or suffer lifetime impairments. The Creationist's god fucked humans up very well -- childbirth is a very dangerous business.

But these multi-million dollar salary mba fucktards siphoning money out of this tragic situation face no risks. They collect their multi-million dollar salaries without personal risk, and they blind us in their bullshit.

Anyone who delivers babies -- midwives, nurses, or doctors -- deserves a comfortable life. It's hard work. And I'd say the same for anyone who does dangerous risky work like this, from truck drivers to neurosurgeons... They deserve a good income, better then any dipshit MBA shuffling numbers and buying politicians with their ill-gotten profits.

... and handed back $100 or more in malpractice insurance and paperwork.

I charge fifty bucks, zero risk, just to look at someone's computer.

A few doctors are money grubbing scumbags, but most are not.

Medicine isn't expensive in the U.S.A. because doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals are paid too much, it's expensive for all the non-medical middlemen.

For example:

Richard M Bracken
Total Compensation
$5.76 mil

5-Year Compensation
$42.643 mil

Education:
College: NA
Graduate School: NA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospital_Corporation_of_America

There is a big sign about that too on his door. He's a crook and so is his staff, billing me for labs I didn't even do. Mind you, he misdiagnosed me, and almost made it into surgery if it wasn't for that MRI who showed was nothing wrong w me.

This, being the U.S.A., you never know.



I'm fortunate to live in a place with good, honest, sincere medical professionals struggling doing their very best within a system that is corrupt and broken.

This nation needs a single-payer (or equivalent) health care system NOW!

Also, it is against the law to charge you for procedures not performed. That's called fraud.

It sounds like you need to find a new physician if you're not satisfied with the service.

You had ONE doctor you were not satisfied with. Doctors are not infallible even though it's expected of them.

They are not all like this. It sounded like there was a scheduling conflict.

As far as the MRI, you're offering very little information.

I spent quite a bit of time working OBGYN. What was the surgery they were going to perform and why? Did you go see another physician? Or was this an elective procedure?

Maybe $10,000 a year to $85,000 in the USA, depending on state law.

And everything obstetricians do must be documented in minute detail to protect themselves from lawsuits. "Defensive" medicine is expensive.

I agree with your link, medical insurance companies want to cap malpractice payouts not for the sake of doctors or patients, but to increase the streams of money they control.

low cost around $17k/yr (MN); $85K-$100 is the highest quote, for nevada & florida. and that's an AVERAGE cost, not a MEDIAN cost.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5514154_average-cost-medical-malpractice-insurance.html


OB/GYN in california (one of the biggest markets in us) varies, depending on city, from $30K (most of state) to $89K (Los angeles/orange county)

http://www.mymedicalmalpracticeinsurance.com/california-medical-malpractice-insurance.php#2010


$85K is not a typical cost in the us as a whole.

That sharks swim in water? This is well known and obvious, my friend.

:kick:

This is no different.

I'm a huge supporter of single payer, but that will not solve the waste problem in the health care industry. There are numerous factors that are at work here. Diagnosising is complex at times.

As a trained coder, I can tell you that a physician's time is closely tracked. CPT codes and the ICD-9 system is used. It can be very difficult and confusing. Doctors will always be accused of milking it. That's not the case. They are required by law to work with this system.

Also in the system are the staff. Nurses, coders, receptionists, lab techs, ultrasound techs, OSHA regs, HIPAA and so much more that is required to run a medical facility. It's complex, difficult and time consuming. I can't count the hours we spent after the clinic closed trying to get everything done.

We have regs and laws that we have to follow. If we do not, it's the physicans' license, the facility's license, our jobs...and many others who are at risk. These were all put in place for a reason. Sometimes they feel redundant, but it saves lives.

Of course, it's not perfect and it never will be. Crap happens. Sometimes people die. We don't want anyone to die.

We have watched upper management gain the fruits of our hard work in the way of bonuses. We have fought with insurance companies to get needed procedures covered. We have begged drug reps for more samples of meds for our patients who can't afford to buy it.

I've seen doctors pay out of their own pockets for needed medicines for poor patients.

I've been in this industry since I was 20 years old. I've seen it at it's best and worst. I've watched people die that shouldn't have. I heard a mother crying because she couldn't afford to buy antibiotics for her sick daughter.

It's not perfect, but you will find a lot of very dedicated people who do truly care.

Once in a while, you will find an asshole. I'm ashamed to say I've seen a doctor or two who should have taken up auto detailing instead. I saw a nurse yell at the wife of a dying patient. That is not who we are as a whole.

When people come to us, they are usually in a bad way for whatever reason. Patients come to us for help and sometimes they can be at their worst which is understandable. Most of us always give our best.

This industry has been very good to me. I've had the honor of working with some amazing people. That's why I'm very passionate and defensive about it.