How does one “go to the hospital” to see a doctor? Walk in the emergency room? Do hospitals actually have family physicians and GP’s? I thought hospitals only had specialists? How does this work?
It's the opposite. In the hospitals the doctors come to see you. For example, if you in for a head injury you will be seen by a dozen doctors including a podiatrist. This is a true story BTW. The reason is that each doctor can bill the government (in this case medicare) for the full cost of a visit after spending just 5 or 10 minutes checking the patient. Medicare only pays part of the amount of course, and the medicare supplemental only pays a bit of the rest. But it's better than the alternatives at this point.
A few months ago, I stopped by the office of my late parents' M.D. to say hello to the ladies; they filled me in on the fact that the doc had chosen to forego all the hassles of "private practitioner" (billing, insurance, malpractice, etc., etc.), and that the office gals had to get schooled to do their duties the way the hospital proceeds.
“How does one “go to the hospital” to see a doctor? Walk in the emergency room? Do hospitals actually have family physicians and GP’s? I thought hospitals only had specialists? How does this work?”
What I’ve seen locally is doctors going to work for large “health corporations”. There are a few near me operated by Health Quest. They also own 4-5 hospitals in the area. The days of the one man or several doctor practices are disappearing.
“How does one “go to the hospital” to see a doctor? Walk in the emergency room?”
Or get carried their by an ambulance when you have a heart attack. All hospitals have a large number of doctors on duty or on call for the various emergency specialties, aside from the ER docs themselves. The biggie is on-duty cardiologists to man the hospital cath labs as ambulances bring in a steady stream of cardiac patients day and night.
Hospitals used to do deals with private docs to receive this coverage in exchange for the docs having admitting privileges for elective procedures.
In smaller cities, it’s almost certain you’d see one of your own doctors on duty at the hospital, particularly with a cardiac emergency.
obamacare has destroyed this model. Most private practices can’t survive the obamacare regs, so they sell out to a hospital and become employees of THAT hospital, and are forced to abandon relationships with ALL other hospitals. So, goodbye to seeing your doc at hour local hospital. Thank you, obama, you fuching fascist!
Private physicians, many general practice, internists, and others, are hiring on as ‘hospitalizes”’. Here they give up their private practice and work on the floor of the hospitals to see patients to evaluate a problem which arises while one is hospitalized. General surgeons are hiring on to hospitals, givinging up their practice to take trauma and general surgery call for indigents who come in to the ER with gunshot wounds, bowel obstructions, gallbladder problems….those areas of general surgeon expertise. I have a good friend who is a thoracic-cardiovascular surgeon who hired on as a hospitalist. Gave it all up. These people go to work at 8 a.,m. and gol home at 4p.m. They have no night call. Their liability goes down, and their salaries go down. Government remuneration is on the decline to such a degree that they cannot afford to pay the light bill, the rent, the salaries of employees, etc. Now, they are just like everyone else.;;;;They ;have less money and less liability, and less personal risk, and a life.. My advise is,….do not get sick on weekends, or at night. There is no personal incentive to race in at night to assume medico legal risk, work all night only to have to work throughout the next day. And finally know this,……single payor is coming. Look at the screwup associated with the rollout of the ACA. and all of the following lies exposed…..it has got to be profoundly embarrassing…..but still the cluster**** keep on coming…..Obamas dedication to single payer goes forth. He is committed no matter how much pain and diminution of quality of health care follows. This is when you will see many worst case scenarios….rationing, limitations of medication and medical devices for the plebeians and Obama and the oligarch in Washington will get the gold plated health care……you know……the kind you have 4 years ago.
Around here the hospitals have clinics on practically every corner. Downtown, out in suburban strip-mall land, everywhere. Primary care and specialists. Competing hospital clinics jockeying for the best corner exposure.
I would suggest there is a second phenomenon. That is Dr’s, GP’s and specialists, are becoming part of large group practices.
The groups offer economies of scale and can deal with the documentation and billing with more skill and efficiency than a small practice. This trend is not all the fault of Obamadon’tcare and was in process before.
Just as mom and pop stores and established distributors bacame uncompetative, so it is with health care.
Here in Washington, one such entity is "Multicare". Multicare is a non-profit entity that owns and runs hospitals, clinics, and, for a better word, "multi-specialty" facilities where individual physicians practice. And yes, they have both family physicians and GP's as well as pretty much any specialty you might need.
The Catholic organization in the same area runs pretty much the same way. And frankly, it works VERY well, and did so long before Obama got into the act. Hopefully, his changes won't screw things up too terribly.