How you can help physicians.

Yes, I will soon be 55. But, I have only been practicing privately for 5 years. The practice of medicine certainly is not what I expected to be. Dealing with unrealistic patients, fighting insurance companies for every penny you make, people not wanting to pay their bills, and yes, the fear of a patient wanting to sue you.
Physician reimbursements have been declining steadily since '91. Since I started private practice in '04, I have seen my physician reimbursement decline by 4.6%. You are probably thinking, "that isn't much?" But given the fact that the average cost of living goes up by 3.5% a year, I have effectively lost 22.1% in income.
I hear my patients say, "But Dr Barclay, my insurance premiums go up every year!" I know, I pay premiums myself. Do you realize that the CEO of United Health Care made a $440 MILLION dollar bonus last year!!! That money could make a bit of a dent in some of our health care costs.
Because of the potential for law suits, physicians are ordering more and more tests to protect themselves. Yes, some tests are necessary, but some or done because of this fact.
With HMO's, people seek medical treatment for conditions that really don't require a person to see a doctor. I remember as a child growing up (before the HMO era) my parents told me, "Son, we will always take you to the doctor if you are sick. But you better be sick because if you aren't, you WILL need to see the doctor." My parent's actually weren't that mean, they were just saying we didn't have the money to throw away on unnecessary expenses.
I am thankful when people come to see me in my office. But I would say about 1 - 3% of the people who visit me REALLY shouldn't have seen a physician of any kind.
During this period of economic downturn in the U.S., I ask that all of us evaluate what we utilize on any level of our daily expenses and needs. Using common sense will go along way to solving our current economic crisis including our health care system.
Tomorrow, I will discuss some do's and don'ts in your relationship with your physicians.

"The journey of life is taken one step at a time... none of them should be painful." G.M. Barclay, DPM, AACFAS