|
I'll tackle this part of your post *** "Ninety percent of the MDs I know are certainly not "in it for the money". That's so bizarre that I cannot say any more just now except shame on you for thinking such a thing!" ***
1. I've seen plenty of docs who live in very modest houses. I know lots of docs who are what you would call cheap and only shop at walmart to save a buck. I don't know what docs you are talking about. Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeons? Becausse they certainly aren't a good example of docs pay. I have yet to see a doc living in multimillion dollar house. Some around my area do live in million dollar houses but thats because its the avg. price of a new house in town and we have among the best school systems in state, and we are 5 min away from two major hospitals.
2. Could it be the extra paperwork. Or that fact that the doc usually doesnt make the appointment, the receptionist does. Or maybe the fact that it does cost money to see patients and the doc can't fill his days with HMO patients or he would go broke. Or maybe the HMO is the one who fights and says the patient doesnt need anything, and the doctor has to fight to see the patient so it takes this long.
3. A LOVE OF MEDICINE. By the time you have studied this much a spent this much time in medicine you could be practicing law and making much more. Docs don't choose to take out that many loans, they do it out of necessity in order to realize their dream of practicing medicine.
4. Because they want to attract business? If you spend a bunch of money for a machine you need to pay it off by having patients.
5. How about because its too expensive to rely on patients who never pay or whose insurance companies pay very little. Many docs don't want the hassle of dealing with paperwork, and its the perfect solution. Instead of filling their sched with people to pay the bills they can accept less patients a day and give really personal detailed attention to each patient and their problems. Malp. Insur. doesn't pay itself you know, and if they only relied on insurance money they sure wouldnt have enough to pay for their practice. And how do you know they get "filthy rich?" It pays the bills for them and gives them a modest income. Now if they where to see just as many patients as with an insurance company that would be different, then they would be making much more but not giving the super personalized attention, and they wouldn't be a boutique for very long.
6. Because thats how their pay is. But once again once you take away all the taxes and insurance etc they aren't making all too much money for the hours they put in. I'll do a little theory for you a doc works 45 weeks out of the year. Lets say he brings in 150,000 bucks after all expenses are taking out, a nice high range for a general doc. Thats $3333.33 bucks a week not bad. Now lets do this, 70 hours a week or so, the amount of time a normal doc might avg, could be more could be less. $47.62 cents an hour. Now if you where to really adjust times and figures a doc would avg maybe 40 bucks an hour. Sure it sounds great, but engineers make that, avg business people make that, lawyers make much more, Investment bankers make much more. Get my drift? It really isnt a lot for the time put in.
|