Seeing 6 patients an hour.

fuzzybuddy

fuzzybuddy

SF VIP
Location
The Sticks, Northeast PA.
I had to go to a specialist. It's a large practice with 10 or 11 doctors. This was my first visit. They did some tests, and Xrays. The MD came in shook my hand, said he read the reports and ordered a med. Total time with MD, 45 seconds. Then had an appt, with another MD. He wasn't aware of the results of the tests he ordered. I had to tell him that he ordered them. Time with MD 2-3 min.Went to another MD, had to fill her in about the things she ordered the last visit. Time 2-3 min.
I know it's a new era in medicine, but the 6 patients an hour isn't fair to us or the MDs.
 

fuzzybuddy said:
I had to go to a specialist. It's a large practice with 10 or 11 doctors. This was my first visit. They did some tests, and Xrays. The MD came in shook my hand, said he read the reports and ordered a med. Total time with MD, 45 seconds. Then had an appt, with another MD. He wasn't aware of the results of the tests he ordered. I had to tell him that he ordered them. Time with MD 2-3 min.Went to another MD, had to fill her in about the things she ordered the last visit. Time 2-3 min.
I know it's a new era in medicine, but the 6 patients an hour isn't fair to us or the MDs.
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Are you sure doctors don't do this so they can make more money- I mean they'd make more from 6 people than from one or two.
It's not new, though. Our family physician did this way back in the 1980s.
 

I just recently read where the current average doctor "face-time" with a patient is around 13 minutes. The insurance carriers are trying to get that down to 8 minutes ! .......By improving efficiency :)....yeah-right.

I have to say that lately @ the doc's I feel like I'm getting the bum's-rush.
 
I don’t think it’s all the doctors fault. Huge companies are buying up so many smaller med centers. At least here in Florida, the center I use has been purchased by New companies three times, who have one goal in mind. Make money...lots of money. The old saying..wham bam, thank you ma’am...comes to mind.
 
Pappy said:
I don’t think it’s all the doctors fault. Huge companies are buying up so many smaller med centers. At least here in Florida, the center I use has been purchased by New companies three times, who have one goal in mind. Make money...lots of money. The old saying..wham bam, thank you ma’am...comes to mind.
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That’s about it, Pappy. There are fewer an fewerer doctors in private practice these days. Many have signed on with the larger health organizations for a number of reasons. To cut their staff, like the billing department, get away from paying malpractice insurance, which for many was half of their income and other expenses of running an office. My doctor fitted into this model about 6 years ago. What he told me was that depending on the billing code is what determined the amount of time he was permitted to spend with a patient and also the office charge for the visit. Welcome to the 21st century.
 
Pappy said:
I don’t think it’s all the doctors fault. Huge companies are buying up so many smaller med centers. At least here in Florida, the center I use has been purchased by New companies three times, who have one goal in mind. Make money...lots of money. The old saying..wham bam, thank you ma’am...comes to mind.
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I agree with all that. And as a old design engineer who at times had a lot of folks visiting my office for technical advice on this and that; I don't see how they do it without burning/flaming out. Seems impossible to me.
 
I believe my Dr is old school..He enters the exam room with my folder which contains all my visit info for the past year or more..He makes entries in the folder with the same felt tip pen that I have seen him use for years!! No tablet/computer like I have seen other Dr's use.
Behind the receptionist in the waiting area, are shelves full of folders, the only computers that that I see are used by the 2 or 3 receptionists..
The Dr in 70 years old..
 
Ken N Tx said:
I believe my Dr is old school..He enters the exam room with my folder which contains all my visit info for the past year or more..He makes entries in the folder with the same felt tip pen that I have seen him use for years!! No tablet/computer like I have seen other Dr's use.
Behind the receptionist in the waiting area, are shelves full of folders, the only computers that that I see are used by the 2 or 3 receptionists..
The Dr in 70 years old..
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Same here.....my doctor of many years has a 'old school practice' and is 74, I like the fact that he's a old fart like me and can understand senior related ailments because of his age.

I never feel rushed or hurried when seeing him and we've always gotten along great......on most visits he'll be sure that the exam door is tightly closed and then we'll swap an off color joke or two. :)
 
My friend goes to a doctor in private practice.

He can only address one problem at a time.

If he brings up something else, he is told to make another appointment. I told him to fire his doctor a long time ago.

Whereas with my doctor. I hand him a list or read it out to him.
 
The situation with Family Doctors/GP's is only going to get worse. over 90% of today's med students are planning on entering a Specialty...as that is where the Big Bucks are. Over time, a person may be hard pressed to find a GP who they can get a fairly quick appointment with. The Only solution I see is a government program that assists with a student doctor's college expenses...with the condition that they are obligated to serve as a GP for a specific period of time, upon graduation.

The few times I've been to the doctor in recent years, it seems that going to a GP is almost a waste of time and money. I can look up the symptoms I'm experiencing myself, on sites like WebMD or MayoClinic...which seems to be all that the GP does...then refers the patient to the proper specialist for the Real diagnosis and treatment.
 
Although I'm changing HMOs and will be losing her in the process, I've considered my GP a valuable resource. She has more common sense than any of the specialists I've seen lately.

Money may be the biggest reason for becoming a specialist, but the relative autonomy of a specialty might be another incentive. At the HMO I'm leaving, GPs are subjected to the same work rules as most factory workers.
 
This is why I like my primary doctor. She specializes in geriatrics. I have been with her about 10 years. She purposely keeps her total patient count lower than her associates, as she wants to be able to give everyone at least 20 minutes per visit without being rushed. She said she knows that we may have more issues as we get older, and we deserve her undivided attention.
 
Smiling Jane said:
Although I'm changing HMOs and will be losing her in the process, I've considered my GP a valuable resource. She has more common sense than any of the specialists I've seen lately.

Money may be the biggest reason for becoming a specialist, but the relative autonomy of a specialty might be another incentive. At the HMO I'm leaving, GPs are subjected to the same work rules as most factory workers.
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GP's have become little more than traffic-cops....you tell them what hurts / isn't working well. And they direct you to the appropriate specialist.

It used to be that [if] a patient really needed a specialist, the GP's office would make the arrangements . Now....you're on your own...if lucky they hand you a name / business card.

As such, if a person has some problems?...instead of seeing his / her doc ....he or she runs all over town seeing multiple docs. And [they] coordinate [if at all] by computer.
 

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