Thursday, November 5, 2009

The Pressures on Doctors for Profits

You have to watch this short clip from a video called Health, Money, and Fear, produced by an emergency room (ER) doctor.
Chapter 6 is about the pressures on doctors to maximize profits.
Go to: www.ourailinghealthcare.com , then Play Chapters, and select Chapter 6.

ER doctors describe the pressures placed on them to produce more of what are called RVUs or units of billable activity. They are encouraged to order expensive diagnostic tests like CT scans or MRIs in order to bring in the big bucks and, at the same time, reduce their risk of liability.

Because a business model has replaced the earlier patient care model, doctors now find themselves in a bind. Should they approach the care of their patients with tests and procedures which are quick and add lots of RVUs and money OR should they focus, instead, on patient education about exercise and diet which takes much more time but yields little in the way of billable hours?