Percentage of doctors and medical physicians who just want to pull every dollar out of you

Chuck Walla wrote:

You could just not ever go to the doctor and see what happens. Then you wouldn't have anything to complain about.

That’s what I do. I have not been to a doctor in 15 years. Maybe more.

So what happened? I’m very healthy. How? I make a strong effort to eat right, exercise and get enough sleep.

I’ll say that I’m glad doctors are standing by if and when I need them. Kind of like insurance.

(I go to the dentist 2x per year, but that’s different.)

Kaiser medical is interesting. They love to sell drugs, but hate to give treatment unless you are old and near death and they can milk government insurance.

joed|rt wrote:

You need to find an older doctor in a private practice if you want decent care. .

No, older docs generally are more set in their ways. they prescribe drugs that aren't as effective because 'that's what they always have done", they were brought up in the pharma-bribe system (most young docs were trained when the rules changed about getting perks so they aren't likely to be brand loyal), older docs aren't as up on their CE and older docs make far more mistakes.

Lets have more medical schools and free tuition....

The more doctors out there, the lower the prices will be.

These guys are trying to pay off huge debt....

I'm against free college tuition for others but doctors are crucial to society.

runnerboy70 wrote:

Lets have more medical schools and free tuition....

The more doctors out there, the lower the prices will be.

These guys are trying to pay off huge debt....

I'm against free college tuition for others but doctors are crucial to society.

Free does not exist. Someone pays. I’m assuming you mean that Joe taxpayer foots the bill. No thanks. But if you want to give all of your money to the federal government then do it bro.

Most attending physicians physicians don't make money on labs, imaging tests, etc. They do make money on procedures such as spinal fusions chemotherapy done in their own clinics.

My wife broke her hummerus and the Ortho surgeon would have done surgery except for comorbidities. It healed just fine without.

Florida physicians are notorious for over prescribing tests and procedures for end of life care.

Half of all back surgery is ineffective at reducing pain.

I think dentists are more likely to do extra stuff than MD s.

doctors who care? wrote:

What percentage of doctors actually aren't trying to run every unnecessary test and do everything possibly to make as much as they can? Do they ever say," l sorry, l would be just taking your money, there is no need to run any test because you can get something over the counter at Walgreens "? Instead of saying,"l would like to run this test, and this procedure, and see this other doctor( my buddy because he needs money too) so l can solve this problem, and l will need you to come in for 5 more visits too( so l an run the bill up).

Probably respect has a lot to do with it. Doctors are human beings like all of us. We tend to act more favorably towards people we respect. If you were a doctor whose clients tended to be rich but lead unhealthy lifestyles without actually making any lifestyle changes to improve their health, you might develop a cynical attitude towards these people.

I am sure there is a lot of this going on. As a doctor you may start thinking if people don't seem to care for their own health, why should you? Take their money, give them the quick they want and send them on their way.

That's why whenever I see a medical professional I try to let them know I am very invested and interested in my own health. I do a lot of research on my own, I ask questions, etc. Sometimes earning somebody's respect goes a long way.

Wuzzle Wuzzle4 wrote:

joed|rt wrote:

You need to find an older doctor in a private practice if you want decent care. .

No, older docs generally are more set in their ways. they prescribe drugs that aren't as effective because 'that's what they always have done", they were brought up in the pharma-bribe system (most young docs were trained when the rules changed about getting perks so they aren't likely to be brand loyal), older docs aren't as up on their CE and older docs make far more mistakes.

Doctors work miracles fixing trauma. Freaking miracles. A lot of the advancement has come directly or indirectly from the battlefields.

But doctors don't do s#it when it comes to MOST everything else. It's not their fault. The body is complex beyond comprehension. You can measure and test what you want. And the metrics that come from tests are indeed "facts", but you don't know how it all works together or what those numbers mean. Only guesses. Reductionism.

Diet, exercise and sleep - the pre-cure for 95% of what people are trying to fix when they go to the doctor.

Sure, that will cure Lupus, asthma, colon cancer, breast cancer, pneumonia, leukemia, tuberculosis, septic shock, appendicitis, rheumatoid arthritis etc.

While I agree people need to take more responsibility for their health and have more control over it than they realize, to claim that most doctors other than trauma surgeons don’t fix anything is ludicrous.

You may be fortunate and be in good health, but others are not so lucky, often getting diseases that are totally out of their control.

up the ante wrote:

Most attending physicians physicians don't make money on labs, imaging tests, etc. They do make money on procedures such as spinal fusions chemotherapy done in their own clinics.

My wife broke her hummerus and the Ortho surgeon would have done surgery except for comorbidities. It healed just fine without.

Florida physicians are notorious for over prescribing tests and procedures for end of life care.

Half of all back surgery is ineffective at reducing pain.

I think dentists are more likely to do extra stuff than MD s.

Dentists at chains, yes. Dentists in private practice, not so much. Corporate dental (just like corporate medicine) is all about volume. They do that by utilizing more mid-level providers and by overtreating the patient (most corporate dental chains are designed around treating Medicaid / Medicare patients. Since the reimbursements in those programs suck compared to private insurance, they make up for it by over diagnosing and over treating the patient). Any time I see a kid with a mouth full of stainless-steel crowns (which tend to cause orthodontic issues later in life as the occlusion sucks), I know they are a Medicaid patient. The reason for this is the chair time is about the same as doing a filling, but the compensation through Medicaid is about quadruple what it is for a filling (and the material cost for a stainless-steel crown is minimal). Additionally, in a chain, the filling of the teeth is typically done by an assistant rather than a doctor (the prep is cut by a doctor). Often times assistants leave fillings high as they don't understand occlusion like a dentist would, which can lead to cracked teeth, headaches, tooth pain, etc. later on. With corporate medicine, you rarely see a doctor, and if you do, it is normally for a very brief period of time.