Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Finally! Article tells all (well some) in USAToday

Unbelievable. Sure, it will probably only make an impact for a day or so. But, at least it's out there.

But, please, everyone making $190,000 a year please raise your hand.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-08-17-doctor-gp-shortage_N.htm

(Cover story in USAToday)

Then the irony:

After touting the need for primary care physicians, they then list the "most influential" doctors in America in four "specialties."

Hypertension, Asthma, Diabetes and Cholesterol.

Just looking at Asthma in Maine, over 90% of those selected are specialists. So, why would your average American want to go to some less than capable PCP, when they can go to a specialist.

We all know that prescribing Flovent or Advair is just not in the purview of the average primary care provider.

Well let's see.

Just finished the article on the web

This is month 21 of my new solo practice venture and I was told it would take 36 months before I was profitable.

No way!! I'll be profitable in 6 months.

Oops!

They (consultants) were right and I was wrong.

Bert, please tell me where i can step up to pick up my $190,000.00.

Nice going Frank. Well, according to this list of salaries verified by JAMA, I would ask your nearest radiologist for $190,000. I think they can afford it.

Aren't they the ones that also don't need malpractice insurance, because they always end with the caveat: Clinical correlation recommended AFTER you already wrote: RUQ ultrasound. Colicky pain mainly after eating fatty foods. R/O cholecystitis, cholelithiasis. (Isn't that already clinical correlation?

I was surprised by the general surgeon's salary. I thought it would be higher. Just goes to show even they should specialize.

DOCTORS' STARTING SALARIES

2007 averages:

Radiology: $350,000
Anesthesiology: $275,000
General surgery: $220,000
Otolaryngology: $220,000
Emergency: $178,000
Neurology: $177,500
Psychiatry: $160,000
Internal medicine: $135,000
Family medicine: $130,000
Pediatrics: $125,000

Source: The Journal of the American Medical Association

I should be passing gas. I am afraid of the dark.

Leslie

Leslie, I hope you are referring to anesthesia. But if you aren't, then it might explain being afraid of the dark(please don't light a match!).

Sorry, couldn't pass that one up!

Hahaha. I am glad you got it!!

Leslie

See, I knew Doctors make too much money .

This, to me, is the insurance companies throwing Docs under the bus. Next thing is this will become talking points for the insurance company shills in their opposition to insurance reform: "your doctors make too much money." The public doesn't meet insurance CEO's everyday. They do, however, meet "highly paid" doctors, who (wink wink) are responsible for the high cost of health care. There is someone who they direct their ire and angst towards.

My position is simple: Insurance companies do not have the interest of the insured or the provider in their business model. Profits Profits Profits.

Man, we all make too much money. I'm definitely not poor but I do have $200,000 in student loans to pay back.

I appreciate Bert noting that my salary isn't as high as everyone thinks it is. I've got a lot of colleagues who don't get near the 200k mark as general surgeons. Part of that is because my malpractice is 5x what my family practice buddy pays. Part is because general surgeons didn't make it to the round table when someone assigned RVUs to what we do.

Salaries are a weird thing to me. My radiology buddies had a comparatively easy residency to mine, worked less hours, still work less hours, less emergencies, not a lot of calls to the E.R. at 2am for a GSW on a "self pay" gang banger, etc but expect to make (and do make) a lot more money than general surgeons do.

As far as money goes, I was an idiot for choosing general surgery. Lower reimbursements, worse hours, painful calls, some pretty disgusting operations.

But, no matter what Obama does, I still enjoy my job and my patients. Hopefully everyone (including the American people) remembers that is why we do what we do (I just wish they wouldn't think we were soooo rich). I don't apologize for wishing to be well compensated for a job that causes me to lose a lot of sleep (from call and from stressing about my patients).

should have been a hospital administrator

Well put, Travis.

You know its funny and anyone who has had a different experience, please let me know.

But, in medical school, I remember quite a few who could talk of nothing else but being a surgeon. Especially ortho surgeons. And, I recall quite a few who couldn't wait to match at an ER residency and have no call, have lots of excitement and make pretty good money. Then, there were still many of us who wanted primary care for the variety and enjoyment of taking care of patients at the gatekeeper level. Not to mention that our medical school (and I am sure others) pushed primary care down our throats. I remember at least three wanting to do ophthalmologists, and they all did. And, anesthesia was a favorite for obvious reasons.

But, I can't remember one first-year medical student at my school or any medical students I work with now who even stated, "I went into medicine, because I want to be a radiologist."

I am fairly sure that the ones who went into x-ray reading in the basement did so after going through their clerkship year and seeing the hours they would have to put in as surgeons and primary care doctors and they money their radiology attendings made.

Just to ease all of our guilt about being "highly paid" doctors, some salary information I managed to find browsing the web:

Engineering Manager at Google: $151,150
Manager at Deloitte Accountants: $122,856
Attorney, Washington DC law firm: $374,400
Pharmacist, Rite Aid: $145,600
Clinical Assistant Professor, Univ of Fla: $270,000
Vice President, Marketing, Fedex: $150,000

Oh, and my favorite:
William W. McGuire, CEO of UnitedHealth: $124.8 million (2005)

Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees $26,000,000

And, he gets paid that for going batting .333

Just imagine how long we would last if we only got 1/3 of our diagnoses correct?

But, at least I can legally prescribe steroids.

Hell, Babe Ruth made $80,000 in 1930 for the New York Yankees.

John that was just in 2005.
In 2007 Dollar Bill McQuire agreed to return $618 million to United as part of a settlement with the SEC. But he was allowed to keep $800 million.

After all of this people are wondering why the cost of insurance is so high.