"I am one of the providers at one of the doctor's offices mentioned in the blog. The nurses showed me the comments. What a crock! After reading your blog my next two patients of the morning are 38 min and 23 min late...therefore putting me and all the rest of my patients behind. You can thank your fellow patients for being late. Look in the mirror!"
Dear Doctor So and So:
Might I suggest TAKING those other patients waiting patiently in your coral and telling the two patients who probably aren't going to show up to GET IN LINE! This is all a part of business and others shouldn't suffer or lose money waiting around because some people just can't be on time. Funny part is, you're going to send them a bill for not cancelling 24 hours in advance anyway!
Blaming your Customers has to be one of the dumbest things one could do. Remember, "Customers Always Come First?" For some ODD reason, people look up to Doctors and Lawyers as great businessmen and women, WRONG! They certainly are special at what they do, I'll give you that. HOWEVER, as business people, investors and so forth, they're the worst business people going. Ask a Doctor about an illness. Ask a Lawyer about legal issues. However, DO NOT ask them about the economy or where to put your money because they suck at it.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
37 comments:
YAAAAAAAAAAAY JOE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG that is fantastic! I'm curious to know if they have patients scheduled for the time slot where they were reading and typing their response???
I'm sorry, Doc, I have lots of respect for what you do and your role in our lives as a care provider, but seriously! Take the next people in line, and make the late people wait until you have a free slot, OR make them reschedule. I have never heard of an industry punishing their clients because of other clients sucking.
You get paid extremely well for a less than 15 minute conversation, and you cost all of your patients money when you take forever to get to them. My husband has to stay home every time we have a doctors' visit, OR I have to pay a baby sitter. Time is money, as you are well aware of, and for you to cost me more money because you have other clients wasting my time is just absurd.
Get off your computer! There are people in your waiting room!
It shouldn't take much to figure out which doctor you are on here. There were only a hand full that people made comments on that article.
Joe, you have no idea what it is like in the medical field... and what we get paid for 15 minutes is paltry in what the expenses are and risk levels.. The general public is in for a wide awakening when docs go cash only.. it's beginning and will likely be the norm in a few years. The "free" ride from what people want in "free medical" care is OVER. Nothing is for free and docs have had it with insurance comapanies and Medicare. Docs are quitting the Emergency Room coverage in droves and the new docs coming out want nothing to do with a hospital... it's a money loser and malpractice risk that is excessive!!!
So rant and rave.. but reality is coming... docs are sick and tired.. very tired --just google Doctor shortage.. and it's a tidal wave of disaster.
Joe, what's a "coral?" Does this doctor have a fish tank that patients wait in or something?
Or did you ignorantly misspell it and actually meant "corral." Nice abortion of the language on this blog.
Not very funny when someone defending the medical system by picking a mis-spelled word and equating the word abortion to it.
Face it, people are sick and tired of sitting around your waiting areas because you overbook your appointments. If it takes a half hour to see a patient...schedule on the half hour not every 15 minutes.
Ok, I'm changing professions. Going to register for classes to become a nurse so I to can work in a doctors office and read the blogs and get paid to do it. What a gravy job that has got to be. Doc isn't to bright either posting something like people not showing up so others have to wait. Who is this doctor? I want to be sure to not use him.
My doctor gets me in right away, I have never had a long wait. If you are willing to see a P.A for most of the routine stuff, you usually can get in and get out quickly. You all might just need to shop around a bit! By the way, I do have to side with the docs on part of this--their salaries, while still pretty generous, aren't what they used to be! The huge malpractice premiums and massive overhead for the insurance companies takes a major toll on the bottom line. The whole system needs to be reformed so that docs can do their jobs without some lousy insurance lobby or malpractice attorneys telling them what to do. This is a shout-out to my doc, Dr Madarang-Lewis. She rules. (and no, I don't work there or have any affiliation with the doc, I'm just grateful for her work).
To all the Doctors, Nurses, and healthcare providers. This November you can change that.Vote for Obama, that is the only way the insurance industry is going to change. It sure isn't going to happen with McCain. Now, if you want all the tax breaks because you are making the big bucks, then vote for McCain, but you can't have it both ways.
Maybe my $75-$125 (per "15" minute visit) is insignificant compared to your costs, but it is significant compared to mine--especially when my kids need someone to watch them, which means hubby has to stay home or we have to pay a sitter.
I will believe the "malpractice and expenses are ridiculous" line when I see economy subcompact cars sitting in the parking spaces reserved for doctors.
Joe you are a fool. People like to bash their doctors because they get "paid extremely well." Did you know that most doctors have over $100,000 in student loans. They don't start making any real salary after age 30(after schooling and residency. The reimbursement rates from Medicare and insurance companies are plummeting and malpractice insurance rates are skyrocketing. On top of this is the cost of renting office space, hiring staff, benefits for the staff and the doctor. In order to make ends meet and to be financially sound, your doctor is forced to see more patients. Also, in Salisbury there is a shortage, which means more patients and fewer doctors.
Medicare just voted again to reduce payments to doctors by 10%.
Also, what you don't see when you visit the doctor is the piles of paperwork and charting that has to be done for every visit.
Patients and families want more face time with the doctor and this all adds up.
So, Joe, the healthcare system is broken in this country. And I can tell from your posts that you are McCain man... what a fool.
angela you don't think your doctor, whom you entrust your health care to, deserves to drive a decent car? Or should they be impovershed?
Dr. Alon Davis and his family are driving regular everyday cars. Go by their office and look. They are a practice that truely cares about their patients, ask any of them. Don't assume all Dr.'s are the same and drive fancy expensive cars. Think about it, all the posts that have come through compared to the number of offices in the area and they have had 3 good reviews now. I think thats worthy of recognition.
Doctors would have more time to see patients and your wait would be shorter if so manty patients didn't waste their docotors time with every sniffle or sneeeze. By the way, the reason you are so fatigued is because you are 50 lbs over weight and the only exercise you get is running off at the mouth or jumping to conclusions. Face it, the American public is spoiled. They want cadillac care, the best of meds for every little and loud complaint, immediate results and.. oh yeah... they don't want to wait for it. From now on get your care from Web MD, it's free and there is no waiting.
No, you're missing my point. Maybe I'm not making it clearly enough.
OB's have one of the highest malpractice rates, right? A realtor that we know just helped a local OB buy a massively expensive beach house... meanwhile in a conversation with that same OB about a year ago, I heard all about how hard they've been having it lately with malpractice rates and such, and they have to take on more patients than they like to.
(I'm sorry I can use more specific details about who where and how much they paid, I don't want to get my realtor friend in trouble for betraying confidentiality.)
The thing is, I can appreciate completely that the financial aspects of medical care don't add up. I think its absolute garbage that doctors are receiving less and less from insurance companies, yet insurance companies are charging their customers more and more for premiums. I think its garbage that instead of patients taking responsibility for their own medical care and understanding there may be risks involved in things, they are suing doctors left and right. I GET THAT. Our medical system is in shambles right now, and we'll end up in a crises fast because med school costs more and more, yet docs are getting paid less and less.
What I don't get is telling me that you can't give me decent service or see me in a timely fashion because of the costs that you incur. I don't buy it. And my comment about the economy cars is just that--- its not fair to cost me more money and take up all of my time, blame it on me and my fellow patrons, justify it with the line, "Malpractice and overhead are through the roof," and expect me to sympathize when lets face it, most doctors still live pretty extravagantly.
So the way that it seems to me is this (and please, prove me wrong because I want to have faith in doctors who care and have compassion for their patients, I really do):
Your rates are through the roof. You struggle more and more to make ends meet, compromising your ability to give patients a full time slot, which can lead to mistakes because you're not taking the adequate time necessary to make an accurate diagnosis. You take on more patients than your schedule can handle, which makes us wait forever in your waiting rooms, or weeks to even get an appointment.
You basically sacrifice every bit of the patients' experiences as you possibly can to make ends meet, right?
Do you sacrifice any of your quality of life? Do you drive the less expensive car? Do you downsize your home? Do you perhaps consider a time share instead of owning a vacation home? Do you eat out less often at less expensive restaurants? Do you buy lower quality goods and clothing?
Or is it fair to expect your clients to make all of the sacrifices?
We live in a capitalist society, and as far as I see it, you choose to stay in your profession, doing exactly as you do every day. In what other industry do you see the professionals within it sacrificing the quality of their service or goods to make ends meet, yet still live expensive lifestyles?
I have never seen medical care as terrible as it is here. I've only lived on the eastern shore for 8 years now. When I lived in Baltimore, doctors were compassionate. They took the time to get to know you and give you outstanding and timely service. I think this area needs a LOT more competition amongst the doctors, particularly specialists. You get more competition, quality has to improve. Where there is no competition, you can give substandard service and people just have to deal with it.
Sorry for the really long comment. I just feel very strongly about the quality of medical care on the eastern shore. It SUCKS. There are some incredible doctors here that I absolutely LOVE, but they have been few and far between.
Alternative Healthcare. Quit eating processed, hybridized foods. Quit slathering your bodies with bottles of chemicals, parabens and pthalates. Cut out fast foods, they are called fast for a reason. Quit eating canned veggies unless you canned them yourself. Support your local farmers, buy their fresh locally grown crops, organic is preferable, if affordable. Grow your own if possible, gardening is good for you mental health as well.
Use herbs, natures medicines as a preventative measure. A lot of those weeds you're killing in your lawn are actually beneficial to your health. Think before you chemically treat.
anonymous said:
Dr. Alon Davis and his family are driving regular everyday cars. Go by their office and look. They are a practice that truely cares about their patients, ask any of them. Don't assume all Dr.'s are the same and drive fancy expensive cars. Think about it, all the posts that have come through compared to the number of offices in the area and they have had 3 good reviews now. I think thats worthy of recognition.
1:10 PM
I agree 100% about them, and might have been one of those 3. I ADORE THEM, and my whole family (us, inlaws, everyone) see them. They take time with you, they treat you well, they never make you wait forever, and I trust them.
Hey Doc. If your palms are bleeding, at least you have a suture kit and prescription pad to fix yourself up. Attorneys also have over 100 K large in debt and you don't see the "corrals" there. Because a lot of their coin comes from ACTUAL CONTINGENT PERFORMANCE; you see they have to get tangible results to get ANY reimbursement(sometimes while footing the bill for expert witnesses, etc. before judgment is even rendered). They actually go out of their way to keep timely appointments to respect their clients without overbooking. BTW I bet you are one of those doctors that is just so so so so smart he can remove an appendix, but is so devoid of common sense that you can't program a Tivo or change the battery in your smoke detectors.
Think about the people you encounter in everyday life, the rude salesclerks, the defiant fast food workers, the idiots on their cell phones while driving etc. etc. Now imagine being a medical professional and having to act professional to these types of people when they are late for appointments, they are non compliant of any medical advice, they do not follow simple instructions (like not eating or drinking before anesthesia) and last but not least expect doctors to UNDO decades of overeating and under exercising, they want an immediate "cure" and are livid when there is none. Add to that the drug seeking addicts that need their next fix courtesy of the Americans Disability Act that enables drug addicts to pursue a lifestyle of never ending drug seeking. Oh yeah, entitlement programs that your darling Obama will be certain to continue and throw more tax payer dollars at. No wonder no one wants to be a nurse or doctor.
Angela you say that doctors don't sacrafice quality of life and that the ob is buying an expensive beach house...etc...
Doctors are and should be the cream of the crop. They endure long years of school and grueling residencies. They are entrusted with your health, and are forced to make life or death decisions in the blink of an eye. I don't want this priveledge to be available to any Joe Schmo. It is not an easy job to be under mental stress where making a wrong decision can harm a patient and where even right decisions with bad outcomes can get you sued.
With this kind of job, shouldn't they be able to have some financial reward?
Angela thinks doctors don't sacrafice quality of life... Well who is on call 24 hours a day. When you are sick on Christmas who is at the hospital taking care of you.
The system itself is broken
Please tell me Angela, are you voting for McCain?
I work in a doctor's office and I do agree that one reason for long waits is doctor shortage in this area. And yes, their schedules may be overbooked, but it is not by greed, wanting more money. In our office, people are calling in having chest pain, elevated blood pressure, among many other things. Many times the problem can be evaluated in our office instead of sending them to the emergency room. The doctors do not want to turn anyone away, so they add them to the schedule. If you or a family member were having a problem that needed immediate attention, wouldn't you want an appointment rather quickly instead of being told that there is no way you could be seen? We are here to take care of people. I am sure there are doctors that abuse their schedules out of greed, but I don't believe most are like that. I can guarantee that most of the negative comments for this post are not by healthcare workers. Let's remember the positive things doctors do. :-)
SBYGIRL
"With this kind of job, shouldn't they be able to have some financial reward?"
At the expense of their clients??? Listen, I believe wholeheartedly that there are some major issues that need to be resolved in healthcare. I also believe that doctors SHOULD make good money. I do NOT, however, believe that I should be kept in a waiting room and exam for literally hours, only to see a doctor for 5 minutes, and not feel my issue has been resolved. PERIOD. And that's what we're talking about here. It should not be like this. Lighten your patient loads so that those of us who are losing an arm and a leg just to afford to see you can feel as though they've truly been taken care of. I understand it means you can't live as extravagantly as you may be currently, but why did you get into this industry in the first place? For the paycheck, or to help people? If it was just for the paycheck, then your motives in the first place are wrong.
Think about this from a consumer's point of view: Many of us are paying upwards to $1000 PER MONTH for health insurance, still have $25-$35 copays, and sometimes, we don't get paid for the time we lose at work to see you. We then get to wait hours to receive 5 minutes of medical advice that we probably could have received on the internet, and maybe we'll get a bottle of pills that we may or may not learn the side effects of in our visit. Its infuriating.
I respect your knowledge, I respect your ability to heal me and my family, I respect your dedication all hours of the night, regardless of what holiday it may be. I don't understand why the problems you're having with the financial aspects of the medical system are being taken out on your patients in such a disrespectful way. As I said before, and I'll say again---no other industry in our country could ever get away with sacrificing quality and service like the medical industry does.
"Angela thinks doctors don't sacrafice quality of life... Well who is on call 24 hours a day. When you are sick on Christmas who is at the hospital taking care of you."
My husband tows heavy duty trucks for a living. He is on call 24/7, and he missed every single one of my son's first holidays. I know its a sacrifice when you never have the ability to make plans because work may pull you away. I know it sucks to lose those important memories with your family. The difference is, my husband (and anyone else who is self-employed) knows that the VERY LAST thing you should ever sacrifice is quality of service. You do that, you will lose your clients. Like it or not, you need those people to pay for that Jaguar and beach house. When you've lost sight of that, you have only yourself to blame when the appointment books get slimmer.
Doctors around here are lucky because of the slim competition. For example--I've never been to the dermatologists around here, but there's only one office for general dermatology needs. ONE. They could give you the worst care in the world and you'd have to just deal with it or drive about an hour away. Capitalism flourishes on the idea of free market COMPETITION. Until we have more competition, the quality of care can continue to go down and we'll just have to deal with it.
"The system itself is broken
Please tell me Angela, are you voting for McCain?"
I don't see how political affiliation is going to change the fact that I'm frustrated sitting in a waiting room for 2 hours.
I don't believe that socialized health care will benefit us in the end, if that's what you're getting at. I don't think our current system is working at all. Its crazy to me that insurance companies are making medical decisions for people. Also, there's no reason why I should be learning about medication on TV--a doctor should be telling me what medication is best for me. Insurance companies should be paying doctors MORE money for a visit, especially if we're paying such high premiums. I think that there should really be a major investigation into where each premium goes once it is paid to a company--i.e. how much money actually goes to doctors, medical facilities and prescriptions. Insurance companies I believe wholeheartedly are the demise of our medical system, and until they are given some limitations and requirements, nothing will ever get better.
I don't think your job is easy and I have a lot of respect for what you do. I just have major concerns for your priorities when it comes to quality of care for your patients.
Nancy, while I see and appreciate your point, how does it justify decreased quality of care for those of us who DO take care of ourselves and appreciate the medical advice we receive?
Dr M. Sharma was our family doctor for years, he retired, his practice is now run by other doctors. Not being the sickly type, I rarely go to a doctor. I don't see the need to go waste their time or mine because I sneezed or I have a headache or any other minor thing I can treat myself. I did go for physicals every year or so. Once he left his practice and others took over, additional staff was hired as well. This one receptionist was so damned rude we have not returned to their office since and we won't. When I did become ill enough for me to need a physician I called for an appointment. This receptionist took it upon herself to decide I didn't need to be seen right away and could wait 2 weeks. When asked who she thought she was to make a decision like that her reply was, you don't come in regularly so you will have to wait. I told her not to make an appointment for me and to hold her breath until the next time I call.
Angela, while I understand your frustration with the health care system it is obvious that you have a different perspective than people who actually do the work. . I have been a hospital nurse for 25 years and see the entire system as being to blame, not just those "greedy doctors" There are some tirelss,compassionate, and highly skilled doctors in this area. Most of the difficulty has come in the form of redundant and illogical paperwork required because of the ever present fear of lawsuits. Add that to the horrible decisions that the health insurance companies have decided upon as far as acuity needs, reimbursements and length of stay for patients and you have a recipe for poor patient care at times. Almost all of the physicians and nurses I work with feel extremely stressed and frustrated because it always seems that actual hands on patient care takes a backseat to documentation and yeah you lawyers are partly to blame for it. Angela I have seen more examples of gross hygiene, smelled more unbelievable odors, been urinated on , defecated on and vomited on more times than I can count. No one knows what it is like to work in the trenches of the hospital except those who do. You need a reality check Angela.
If doctors started only taking cash that would be the best thing ever for our healthcare system. People would actually pay attention to the services they were getting and what was being paid for. Costs are so high now because no one actually pays for care at the point of purchase. They pay a small amount, insurance covers the rest, and how many people actually know what the total bill was. If they did, they might shop around, find a better deal and save a few bucks, and make prices go down a little.
Angela, You lie on planet Mars.. You are so out of touch it isn't even funny. Doctors in 1970 got reimbursed over $2,500 for a gallbladder removal.. now it's less than $500... If you think that $500.00 is overpaid when a doctor has to go thru training, school and getting to hospital seeing hte patient etc.. and then assuming HUGE liability seeing that patient.. then so be it.. BUt REIMBURSEMENTS have dropped.. no it's not a conspiracy.. WHy don't u check what Medicare paid in 1980's and what they pay now.. Have you seen costs for things decrease from 1980 or increase... Well for u the answer is INCREASE>>> But doctors salaries have DECREASED to a level that few people want to do it anymore.. There are just more things to make money in than medical .
Just remember.. National healthcare insurance will absolutely become a TWO tiered system.. Doctors who work for the National Healthcare insurance(lousy doctors... like in Britain and Canada..) and Cash Doctors who are the best.. and who the rich will use.. Just like in the Socialist countries.. You can't DEMAND that doctors work for nothing.. they will just go cash or quit (what u going to put doctors in Gulags like the Soviet Union did when people revolt.. ) No not here in the USA. You will always get what u pay for.. remember that
I am sorry for those experiences, I really am. And I'm thankful for your willingness to endure that. I'm sure its really frustrating. However, that doesn't answer my question. How can terrible quality of service be justified? The medical field is your chosen profession, and like I said, I'm thankful for your willingness to be apart of it. However-- When I go across the bridge for healthcare, it is flawless. My time is respected and I'm given adequate care. But here, we are made to wait forever, and the amount of time we are given is minimal, and the excuse that is offered is: other patients are late, and expenses are so high.
I'm just asking for that logic to be justified. I need someone to explain it to me so that it makes sense. I don't think I need a reality check when I'm quite certain the majority of Salisbury consumers are asking the same question.
Alot of people think that going "across the bridge" equals some sort of magical higher level of health care, but there are just as many horror stories from renowned hospitals like Hopkins and University, probably more. I don't know how to explain the decline in the work ethic of practically all workers after baby boomers, but there is a dramatic difference between the generations.
And Angela, you have sampled how many doctors and facilities.... .000001% of them.. That makes you an expert to discern that docs are bad on the eastern shore and great on the western shore.. If Doctors used that kind of analysis we all would think the world is flat.
You are no expert.. You have an opinion, but it's a very miniscule and trivial one.
OMG....
I'm done with this topic now. That was absolutely the most immature rebuttal I think I have ever read. (Okay, I may be exaggerating, but still.) You have no idea who I am, what my experiences have been, or who I have dealt with in my life. No clue!
For one (FINAL!!!!) time, I am not saying I dislike doctors. I'm not saying I don't respect them. I'm not saying that they should get paid less.
I believe that there are major issues in our healthcare system that have led us to have crappy care at many of the local doctors offices. That really needs to change.
Moving on..........!
Does "hubbY' ever get a word in?
I feel his pain......and you have been on this blog what 2 days?
I know all about how malpractice insurance affects doctors-when I became pregnant with my daughter,I had to get a new OB because my then-OB could no longer afford the insurance rates associated with delivering babies and became a strictly GYN practice.It was hard to leave,because he had diagnosed a potentially dangerous health problem(Diabetes 2) that had made me infertile,when no one else had a clue.
I have to laugh when I read 5:34!!Gross, unbelievable odors;poor hygiene;arbitrary vomiting/urinating/ defecating. You've never been to an SU party on a Thursday night have you? At least you get a paycheck;some of us are just good natured designated drivers (BTW can anyone tell me how to get Cheeeto-vomit out of cashmere?)
My doctor shops at Big lots.
FUNNY HOW A DOCTOR IS TALKING ABOUT BEING ON CALL 24 HOURS A DAY, SACRIFICING THINGS FOR OUR COUNTRY, ETC ETC, SOUNDS LIKE OUR MILIATRY SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN AND THEY DON'T GET VACATION HOMES, JAGUARS, OR 6 DIGIT SALARIES. WHO MAKES THE REAL SACRIFICE HERE?
If it is so easy and so great to be a doctor, why don't all of you critics go out and do it? Well, there's all those really hard tests, and all those years of schooling, and then all those years of residency . . . but it pretty much is the same as any other job, right? Anyone can do it! You want to complain about someone's salary? Complain about the guys making tens of millions of dollars a year to run the oil companies. I'd rather that the man or woman who has a shot at curing cancer gets a good salary. I don't begrudge doctors a nickel of their salary. We should want the best and brightest to be our doctors, and the best and brightest should be rewarded accordingly. Duh.
There is nothing wrong with seeing a PA-in fact I have found that they are very thorough,available and stress the importance of preventative medicine-it usually requires an additional 2 yrs of school if one is an R.N. already and not only is it an in-demand career,it pays pretty well too.I may be wrong,but I do not think they have to go through long residencies.
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