My wife tells me I need to stop spending time on this forum because it scares the chit out of me and makes me wonder why I am about to do what I am about to do which is open up my own shop. Finished residency in 05, worked as an employed FP for 3 years in a huge multispecialty group (150 docs) but returned home to Florida where I am currently working 12 - 14 shifts a month as an employed physician in an urgent care center making more than I did as a primary care guy and working less and putting up with much less hassle (prior auths, hospice, physical therapy.....). Started the process about a year ago to open my own place, approved for an SBA loan, and have a lease in my hand which is basically the point of no return once I sign. It seems like there is a lot of sage experience on this forum so I thought I would solicit some feedback. I read the posts of the frustration out there and wonder if it is worth it to go down the road with insurance companies in the first place. I have my applications in - United offered 75% of medicare but told me not to tell anybody so I papered my bird cage with their paperwork, still waiting on most others. I'm boarded in FP and medical bariatrics which is a nice cash niche and plan to provide some other cash only services but really want to provide primary care as part of my practice. There are a few providers in my area that simply don't take insurance but run busy practices. They provide the patient with paperwork to submit and let them deal with the headache. I am seriously considering doing the same, especially after spending the past week on this and other forums. I guess the question in all of this is what do you think with all of the experience I see on this forum, what do you tell a guy who is a relatively new physician in a place to start a fresh practice without the burden of already having a bunch of employees, leases etc. Could this approach be part of the solution? Guys like me just refusing to deal with the monster that has been created. I have the advantage of staying with my current company 2 - 3 days per week while I build my practice and taper off when I can so do not need to depend on a salary any time soon although I don't want to work 6-7 days a week forever.
On a side note my wife is an attourney (not malpractice) and she agrees with many posts on this forum in that we have allowed to happen what has happened to us in medicine (as she bills 250.00 an hour in 6 minute increments) and that we have been played from the beginning. I think part of the problem is we work so hard doing what matters that it is hard for us to spend energy and time that we don't have on fixing the problem and that those "things," seem less important to us when we are doing such important work in the lives of our patients, we simply work harder to compensate for it which makes it even worse for us: work more hours, see more patients, get more frustrated, complain on forums....Anyway, would be interested and will appreciate any comments. Hope this doesn't stir up to much of a chit storm. Mike
