? about using doctors after you include them in BK

[OhioFiler]

Some Drs are horrible business people. They end up closing the practice and work in a hospital.

But - I am not sure why he isn't going to work out of hospital next. Maybe burnout, or something more...

I agree on that. Doctors should be required to minor in management or accounting as a prerequisite to Med School.

[Snickers]

Exactly! Wow about Dakota's posting, calling patients losers?

I didn't read it like that. I took it to mean that his patients were the real losers as in "lost out" when he had to close his practice.

[dakota112]

My Bankruptcy is quite plain and simple. I stayed in private practice way to long when I should have gotten out when the ship was going down. Most doctors are lousy businessman, the problem is that medicine in america is a business so if you don't run it like one you will fail. I failed. I took care of my patients but they didn't take care of me. Most wouldn't even give me the 10 dollar co-pay. 70% of care in the US is provided by primary care physicians, and the rest by "specialists" who really only care about you as a cash machine. What procedure can they or the hospital do to you that will make them money. As an insider to this profession I can tell you that most of the medical procedures done in the USA are unnecessary but are patient driven because they don't pay for them and the docs make a ton of money from them. I did not do procedures. I coordinated the care of my mostly elderly, very ill patient population which is very time consuming and has risk. It is poorly compensated by ins companies. At most 90 dollars for an hour of my time, 57 dollars for 30 minutes. Medical malpractice alone ws 42 thousand dollars a year. Why so much? Because these patients who were so dear to me would sue ( no merit of course, and always dropped at deposition) because stuff happens when you get old. Almost always it was the son or dtr who sued who came to vist from far away when death drew near. Now as for doctors being a dime a dozen good luck. Most of your primary care will be from docs overseas who barely speak english and yes they left their country to take care of you for money! No american grads are going into primary care. Why should they anyways? They owe 250 K in student loans after 13 years of college and residency. There are 3 times as many lawyers in america as doctors yet good luck finding a BR lawyer who will even talk to you after the initial "consult" without paying him upfront. It took me 3 months to finally find an attorney who I felt comfortable enough with to BR me. The others made my skin crawl and were arrogant and rude. How come americans in need can't file BR for free? Why don't we have legalcare or legalaid like medicare or medicaidin this country? Why must only medicine be free? Why won't lawyers call you back when you call them, and god forbid you ever called your BR attorney at 2am because you were anxious the night before your 341. How come dentists, plastic surgeons, botox injections, fine restaurants or even McDoanlds wants paid after they provide you service? Is not food a necessity also like medicine to live? How come Charlie Rangel who makes our tax laws doesn't want to pay taxes, perjures himself yet is rewarded for it by holding the highest position in Congress? You folks can all feel hate towards me as a doctor, I really don't care. I spent a career doing good deeds and can live with myself. I won't however work for free again, always worrying how to pay the bills. I am highly sought after and will be paid upfront from now on for the professional services I have to offer. Believe me, when you are sick and no one is listening to you, they are very valuable. I never lived in a fancy home or gated community either. I find it hard to even write this, but the circumstances have changed my viewpoint, in this country if you don't watch out for yourself and family, than you will be taken advantage of by the financial system, government and even the people you serve. My patients are still mourning my departure as they know they won't ever find a doctor who cared for them as I did. Good luck and best of health to all.

[ForumReader]

I didn't read it like that. I took it to mean that his patients were the real losers as in "lost out" when he had to close his practice.

Sorry if I read it the wrong way when he mentioned patients as losers and that his post was long and he sounded frustrated.

[goingcrzy]

did anyone have any issues with the lab companies. We bk lab corp also, and it hadn't crossed my mind that they may turn me away in the future

[frogger]

I won't however work for free again

Good for you! If I'm going to work for free, it's called charity work. I will do it because I want to do it, or not at all.

You make a lot of valid points and I understand your frustrations. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars that doctors never collect because people don't or won't pay them.

Most doctors offices in my area now collect your insurance co-pay up front before you ever get to see the doctor, or the price of an office visit if you don't have insurance.

If you don't have insurance, or don't have money to pay, they refer you to the emergency room down the road, who is obligated to perform services.

You remember when you swore your oath do to no harm? For years, by providing services and not getting paid, you were harming yourself and your family. I'm glad to see that your way of looking at things is changing.

As I've always heard... it's OK to be broke and it's OK to be tired, but it's not OK to be both at the same time.

[DeadManCrawling]

Dakota,

I feel for you. You sound like a kind and compassionate doctor, exactly the sort we all want but can never seem to find.

I agree that medical, as a profession, has turned into a money machine, at the expense of doctor's sanity and stress levels, and patients being shorted in terms of time.

If there is a solution, I hope we see it soon. Doctors should be well compensated, no question, and patients should be well cared for.

It is the bureaucracy between the two that seems to hold the problems.

Best,

-dmc