Some years ago, my primary care physician left his group practice to join a large health-care system. I remarked then, The relationship with my doctor will never be the same. Now he's an employee, no longer an independent professional. He’s working for XXXHealth.org, which, across multiple states, manages many hospitals and countless clinics.
I was never happy with my doctor once he became an employee. Our appointments inevitably had a rushed quality, finally a sprint of 7 minutes or so.
What was going on? Obviously, my primary care physician, who at one time showed special care in resolving my concerns, had to meet goals set by impersonal XXXHealth.org. True, my doctor had access to amazing diagnostic equipment: imaging MRI machines and beyond, all of which amounted to gargantuan capital outlays, but paying for same meant revenue-producing employees (like my doctor) were expected to bill out services to pay the freight.
When I had enough of my employee doctor, I made a course correction and signed up with a concierge type group practice. I would pay something like $500 or more each year (I forgot the exact figure) and would get the personal care I once had from my former doc when he, too, was an independent professional in a group setting.
I didn't last too long with the concierge doctor group, however. But I learned a few things. The doctor I chose had interviewed at XXXHealth.org when he was considering practice in Portland. He told me--and this is an M.D. speaking—XXXHealth.org was losing $100,000 a year on each primary care physician and that was one reason contact time got shorter and referrals to higher-margin specialists was standard procedure.
Unfortunately, my concierge doc might have had misgivings about, well, being a concierge doctor. He soon left to work in a rural setting where more doctors were needed. His replacement, whom I saw a time or two abruptly left Portland and went back to Austin. He missed Texas culture. Texas BBQ, say no more.
So I quit the concierge doctors and stumbled around until I found my present health-care provider: Kaiser Permanente.
The beauty of Kaiser Permanente is that they are both the provider and the insurer. No longer will I have to suspect the doc is gaming the insurance company for reimbursement.
My Kaiser doc is no hamster in a cage. Recently, I had a skin lesion. My doc said, I can take care of that in the office. He froze it off. No insurance claims or codes. What a refreshing change.
Image credit: freeiconspng.com
Read Charlie Dickinson's story collection The Cat at Light's End, as an ebook in these downloadable formats:
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