Do you get asked to give away your work for free?

[m3racer]

Very understandable gripe, but let me throw one right back at you: Where are your prices posted and how prominently?

All I can say is wow!!! You're the exact type of patient that most doctors would weed out of their practice. Here's a piece of advice. Going to the doctor is not the same as going to the mechanic.

[moneybags]

Why anyone uses these clinics is beyond me.

Here's an example of why I do: DD15 is a swimmer on her high school team. She has swimmer's ear, which I can diagnose, but I can't prescribe the needed meds. She is at school & swim practice from 6:30am to 6:30pm. The drs office is open 8am-5pm, CVS is open until 7:30. I prefer the drs office, but in this case, CVS is my best option. It also happens to be cheaper to take her to CVS. I have a high deductible on my insurance, so I will pay $60 at CVS or $120 at the drs. office. Like I said, I prefer to go to the dr, but there are times I will use the minute clinics.

[Inkstain82]

All I can say is wow!!! You're the exact type of patient that most doctors would weed out of their practice. Here's a piece of advice. Going to the doctor is not the same as going to the mechanic.

Then don't complain when I ask to be billed.

[Ima saver]

My husband is a licensed builder. He often gets calls from people he has built houses for, years ago. Last month, he got called to look at a house that got struck by lightening. He lined up the repair people and made about 5 visits to the house to correct some of the problems. He usually never charges anything for minor repairs.

[lovcom]

I wonder what Bill Gates would say about that, or George Soros, or any number of other wealthy business people who donate billions of dollars to charitable endeavors.

Yes, AFTER they made their millions and billions.....before that Gates didn't give anything away....I remember the early days of MicroSoft very well....they nickeled and dimed on every lousy thing.

You can't compare billionairess giving to the rest of us....and often, billionaires are getting something in return: good well, boost of reputation, the fixing of reputation, public relations, huge tax write-offs...their giving is only done if they get something back....you will not find much altruistic deeds coming form humans....people mostly give to get.

[lovcom]

All I can say is wow!!! You're the exact type of patient that most doctors would weed out of their practice. Here's a piece of advice. Going to the doctor is not the same as going to the mechanic.

You are dead wrong, sorry.

For a procedure, one must shop around for price, from a short list of doctors having a great reputation for whatever procedure is required.

This can save 10's of thosands of dollars....I was once married to a physician, so I know. The differences in price can be MASSIVE.

[m3racer]

You are dead wrong, sorry.

For a procedure, one must shop around for price, from a short list of doctors having a great reputation for whatever procedure is required.

This can save 10's of thosands of dollars....I was once married to a physician, so I know. The differences in price can be MASSIVE.

Because you were once married to a physician doesn't mean anything. You are not an MD or have any experiences as such.

Please give an example of your shopping around because I'd love to hear it. BTW, I'm not talking about whether you are in or out of network. Obviously that can be a HUGE difference. I'm talking about all things being relatively equal. Oh and let me get this straight. Inksatin82 and you would rather go to a neurosurgeon to remove a brain tumor because he's Cheaper. Please correct me if I'm wrong because that's the impression that one gets when you ask a doctor to post their fees like a car wash. I'm not trying to come off rude. I just think it's insane when one has a serious condition and you wouldn't seek treatment from the very best. Just my $0.2.

[lovcom]

Because you were once married to a physician doesn't mean anything. You are not an MD or have any experiences as such.

Please give an example of your shopping around because I'd love to hear it. BTW, I'm not talking about whether you are in or out of network. Obviously that can be a HUGE difference. I'm talking about all things being relatively equal. Oh and let me get this straight. Inksatin82 and you would rather go to a neurosurgeon to remove a brain tumor because he's Cheaper. Please correct me if I'm wrong because that's the impression that one gets when you ask a doctor to post their fees like a car wash. I'm not trying to come off rude. I just think it's insane when one has a serious condition and you wouldn't seek treatment from the very best. Just my $0.2.

1. You twist my words so conveniently. I said to shop around from a list of physicians with a good reputation...not just anyone.

2. I know about the business end of a medical practice perhaps better then most doctors. I've written comprehensive software that manages doctor's offices, their fee structures, etc, and being married to a physician provided an inside look at how fees are structured, how doctors get compensated, etc.

3. Most doctors in the practices I've installed my systems don't necessarily know the business end of the practice. So your point about me not being a doctor holds no water; none whatsoever.

4. Example: My best friend has BlueShield and his out of pocket for treatment of his esophageal cancer is not so much. However there are certain tests and procedures that the BlueShield will not cover. He got a short list of the best of the best for what he needed and he shopped for price amounst these few specialists, and the fees varied several hundred dollars.

So are you going to twist my words again? Or will you play right into the medical industry fee structures that make people like you feel it is taboo to talk price. It seems you have this dillusion that the best care cost the most. This is not always true.

[cschin4]

I think that is part of the big disconnect in healthcare. There is no relationship between paying from the pocket and reality. If there was real competition. Doctors could post, advertise their fees, offer discounts or not, etc. When LASIK was all the rage, there were huge pricing differences. And a cheaper fee does not mean a lesser quality. In fact, doctors who do more volume are often much more skilled and experienced and can then offer discounts. As for doctor "reputation", I know some doctors who are skilled at bedside manner but not so much in the OR and others with pretty dull or gruff personalities that are fantastic surgeons. So, that really doesn't tell you much either.

[disneysteve]

I think that is part of the big disconnect in healthcare. There is no relationship between paying from the pocket and reality. If there was real competition. Doctors could post, advertise their fees, offer discounts or not, etc. When LASIK was all the rage, there were huge pricing differences. And a cheaper fee does not mean a lesser quality. In fact, doctors who do more volume are often much more skilled and experienced and can then offer discounts.

This is all very true. In medicine, price does not equal quality. Prescription drugs are a perfect example. The same pill that WalMart sells for $4 is $20 at CVS. Procedures are the same way. One place may charge $85 for a chest x-ray. Another place may charge $97 and a third place may charge $105.

Doctor pricing is a bit different though, because that is more regulated by Medicare and insurers. I don't pick how much I charge for an office visit. We follow the fee schedules provided by the government and private insurers. Things like LASIK and other cosmetic procedures can set their own prices because insurance doesn't cover them so they aren't restrained by those guidelines.

[m3racer]

It seems you have this dillusion that the best care cost the most. This is not always true.

I do agree with you on this point but I never stated that the best care necessarily costs the most. I think it's absolutely ridiculous to base a medical decision/treatment based off of $$$. Of course I can understand if $$$ is tight and one can not afford a particular doctor.

[m3racer]

2. I know about the business end of a medical practice perhaps better then most doctors. I've written comprehensive software that manages doctor's offices, their fee structures, etc, and being married to a physician provided an inside look at how fees are structured, how doctors get compensated, etc.

3. Most doctors in the practices I've installed my systems don't necessarily know the business end of the practice. So your point about me not being a doctor holds no water; none whatsoever.

The fact that you were an office manager that produced financial software is great but irrelevant. That's great that you understand fee structures but again irrelevant. I am not "twisting" your words. My point is with all things being equal, looking for the best doctor shouldn't be based primarily on prices.

No disrespect, but remember you are/were an "administrator". By no means does that make you an expert on what the best treatment is for a patient. Nor do you understand what it means to care for a sick person. Again, I never stated the best doctors were the most expensive. If anything, you're the one fabricating statements. Again, my point is don't make a treatment decision for a serious medical condition because it's cheaper from another doctor IF it's financially feasible.

[m3racer]

In fact, doctors who do more volume are often much more skilled and experienced and can then offer discounts.

What a terrible generalization! It amazes me how ignorant the general public is about health care. All I can say to you is good luck if you ever need surgical intervention.

[Inkstain82]

I do agree with you on this point but I never stated that the best care necessarily costs the most. I think it's absolutely ridiculous to base a medical decision/treatment based off of $$$. Of course I can understand if $$$ is tight and one can not afford a particular doctor.

It's absolutely ridiculous not to base them off of money.

The "spare no expense no matter what" mentality leads to a very broken system and a lower quality of life.

[disneysteve]

It's absolutely ridiculous not to base them off of money.

You should look for VALUE. That means good quality at a good price. You can't just look at price. Sometimes things are cheaper because they are inferior.