How has the way healthcare is reimbursed affected the way MD practice changed over the past 50 years?
475561
Since DRG's (diagnosis related groups) started being used by Medicare other insurance companies followed suit. Basically what that does is when the MD makes a diagnosis the insurance company has a limited number of tests, treatments, and physician fee that they are willing to pay. Therefore the physician is paid less and spends less time with the patient in order to have a lucrative practice. The MD is less likely to recommend hospitalization (before DRG's people were often put in the hospital for rest), etc.
958978
No,\nThere is no other way to provide the necessary level of care than by a medical system paid for by national insurance.\n\nIf you look at the USA - it is far more expensive and inefficient than the UK without having a demonstrable increase in standards of health.\n\nIt is inefficient because its bureacracy is immense you have\nThe admin of loads of different health care providers -hospitals doctors etc.\nYou have the admin of the HMOs\nYou have the admin of the insurance companies\n\nThat costs more money than having just the admin of the health care system\n\nSecondly the private care system leads to all sorts of short termist economics that are bad for long term health and long term expenditure on health care.\n\nMore money gets spent on drugs than on preventative medicine and primary care to keep people healthy.\nAll sorts of expensive tests are done which are not strictly medically necessary.\n\nMany people are not covered by health insurance which has a knock on effect in several areas -\n1) the problem of poverty illnesses such as TB - prevalent among the homeless and STDs from people who have no access to health care.\n\n2)If you can't get proper quality health care you may take more days off work  -this has a knock on effect on the economy and therefore tax levels.\n\nI am not saying the NHS works perfectly but it is improving in many aspects - \neven the private health care companies are noticing a down turn in demand for things like knee and hip replacements to be done privately.\n\nOne issue though is that some consultants like to push people into their private clinics where they get paid twice as much and so keep waiting lists longer without good reasons.
503841
It changes from month to month. \nYes, I had it at San Francisco University/Moffit but not in the lumbar region; I had it in the cervical region (at lot more serious).  Mine was $35,000 and that the hospital only (surgery OR ) ...then, there's the surgeon, the lab for blood drawn and EKG, & don't forget the anthesthesist,\n\n2 of my co-workers just had the lumbar surgery and there's were $27,000 just for the OR, not counting the rest of what I mentioned above.  \nA P.S. on theirs:  They wish they hadn't waited...& they said it was the best thing they've done. \n& BTW, every one can get financial 'aid'.  Either your insurance, or D.S.H.S. or Medicare, and each hospital (epecially if they are Catholic) have their own 'charity'.
1135716
Usually Parts A and B are good enough but with the new part D that can get confusing. I work with medicare health claims, and i would suggest not getting a medicare HMO.
1030812
Computers, and real estate offer a better life style. The average doctor has a debt of $100,000 in loans etc when he/she finishes school. With all of the changes in medicine, I'm not sure I'd do it again. It certainly has its positive sides but the negatives are huge too. Best wishes.
904744
To most MD's we are just cattle, stupid beasts that have to be tended, and are there for them just to make money.  Time is money, I have asked my own specialist for side effects on a treatment he was prescribing and he just mentioned one, turned out I had a real problem with a side effect that he did not mention, and had to resort to webMD to find out what was happening.  You just have to get used to the system and learn to work with it, which makes us different from stupid beasts but makes them closer to sob's.
896608
I work for an Insurance Company, we have a percentage of premiums set to go pay hospital costs and that is over 80%. The more the drug companys, hospitals, doctors charge the more healthcare will cost.
161097
Increased patient load. The population in the U.S. is getting older, and there is a shortfall in physicians, nurses etc. Insurance company interferrence, decreased compensation from said insurance companies. There is a divide in access to healthcare. Those without insurance come into the hospital system often much later in the disease process.
389163
it seems the older one gets the more medical insurance is needed!
504624
Its all about the all mighty dollar. Doctors are paid by drug companies to endorse there products, regardless weather or not they are better than the less expensive version or not. Just like i firmly belive that  the cure for things like aids and cancer os being deliberatly slowed bu the drug companies becuase they make millions and millions of dollars every day from the medicine that these poor pepople that have this ailment need just to be with out pain So ethics you ask? i say that ethics has gone out of medicine all together
979717
i had 2 MRI's taken (both were for my back) the cost was $900 for the first one, and the 2nd one cost $1200. Shocking isnt it? My out of pocket was 20% as insurance picked up the rest. I now live in europe and my husband has had an MRI done, the cost to him was 0 as its socialized medicine. Somethings wrong with the american health system big time!!!!
863448
That's a very very good question in light of the fact that they have\nlittle if any real value to a persons health. AMA doctors today are\nonly expert at their financial portfolios all other requirements they\nmust complete are cover by what they call standards of care,which are dictated prescriptions of their real masters the\ndrug dealers.
695955
very huge topic..narrow it down some Maybe to business field, medical field, amount of years in schools, cost-not just of education but what it will cost in the future...ie) doctors pay HIGH liability ins. They make a lot of money but by the time they take the ins out and the cuts in medicare/etc..do they really make a lot...Teaching...which grades...why.
328193
Yes. You should google this because this has become a big issue lately. There are several class action lawsuits that are going on. What hospitals do is charge poor people more for their services when compared to those who have insurance. Then when they collect they actually make more of a profit. This is called medical cost offsetting. Hospitals have been doing this for a while, but no one was apparently paying attention. Hope this helps you out.
1001221
Try searching for the American Medical Association's website Should be info there. \n\nhttp://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/5105.html
124190
Third party payors do have to play by "rules". Physicians\nare contracted with all kinds of insurance companies. Some of these companies have a third party payor that reviews the\nclaims for them. The  third party payor decides what should be paid on different charges. This is based on coding guidelines set forth by the AMA (American Medical Association), and is subject to things like multiple surgery guidelines, bundling and "inclusive" procedures. After the third party payor has determined the pricing and payment amounts, the results go backto the insurance company to send out a check to your doctor. And the end result is your doctor  gets paid quite poorly.
118012
None. All professions have been changed in some form or another by IT. Even monks. And candle makers... publishers..mine workers....etc. etc. However, the Amish might be another story.