Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Tech savvy users

Is it just me, or are more and more users becoming tech savvy or is it because JBS is right and a domain network is harder to maintain?

My guess is that it is like the solutes getting more concentrated in the puddle as the water evaporates.

I mean that running your own office is getting harder and harder with the tech side with more demands for documentation, regulations adding work and incentives to change, and EHRs getting more complicated and slower.

Providers have to decide whether to go/stay on their own and get up to speed on IT, or join a group. I think the trend is to join a group, and small practices are evaporating.

That makes us the scum of the medical world, I think.

If we join a group or if we stay solo?

Solo Forever! [primal scream optional]

No matter the obstacle, the regulation, the slow pay, and the referral pattern degradation, we shall remain! We shall not go gladly into the night of salarydom! We shall not grow faint of caring for our practice like it is our baby! We shall not be enabled by walking out to a quiet evening every night! We will not be swallowed up by the maw of the administered medical factory beast!

We will work harder and harder for less and less, until it is impossible to find time to even post on this forum! And with the last click of our cold dying hand, we will join THE GROUP, so our kids don't have to see a doctor in the next county who only takes cash we don't have.

Definition of not being in the realm of salarydom:

Gladly seeing that last patient who only has a cold.

Gladly seeing the sibling when the mother asks if you mind looking in her ears.

When you are in that realm of salarydom:

You're yelling and bitching, "Who the hell scheduled a kid with a cold at 5:00 pm?

"I hate it when a parent asks me to see the sibling that wasn't even scheduled."

Ahhh...but for us, we have a) made a family happy, b) seen an extra patient very quickly and, c) billed it as a walk-in.

I still maintain the sine curve may be swinging the other way. At least in this area, an interest in some docs getting smaller again.
If I was younger, brighter, taller, and better looking, and had the IT skills of Indy, JamesNT or Sandeep, or one of those guys would be brave enough to partner with me--I would go around to these large grouped physicians, and just ask how happy they are, and give them directions on how to set up a small practice, with tips on how to contain overhead (the minimum # of employess to get the maximum effect intertwined with advice on which computers to buy and what EHR to use etc so forth and so on). THIS IS ALL JUST A PIPE DREAM.
I do sense an extreme frustration from docs in large employeed groups, in not being happy with working for the system with a suboptimal EHR and less compensation going to eat what you kill model, without any ability to control overhead or patient selection.
I think if docs in large groups, or new docs just coming out of training could be educated on how to run an office, and how to make the computer stuff work, and could be hand held and set up in such a fashion, that may not be so bad for medicine in general. Private practice ain't for every body but it sure beats the alternative if you have Solofever. (primal grunt required)

CAVEAT: Bragging, egotistical whining ahead:

I just don't know why this keeps happening. First, Jon, and now jimmie. Well, at least I went through the rest of the J's in the user list and not too many of them post, and I don't think that many are familiar with Sandeep, Indy and James. I'm counting on John to not comment on the three amigos or to include me if he does.

I seem to recall that I have helped at least two people with tech stuff. I wasn't sure, so I went back and read all 8952 posts, and I actually helped three people. Now, I don't know if that puts me in the category of Indy, James and Sandeep, but I do think them's pretty good numbers.

I guess I'll be happy if someone puts me in a group of "those guys know a thing or two about computers," but until then I'll just try to add a forum when asked, ban some spammers and work with Dave to update the board to the next version.

This is one of those, I'm kidding...but...maybe a little. Hell, if I can get a little love now and then, I promise I will jump over to the P2P side. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of smart computer types over there; I just think I can possibly hang with them.

I reckon I will get a fair amount of teasing and be the brunt of some funny jokes, but that's OK.

You da MAN!

(now get rid of that silly server client setup)

Gotcha. Ironically, I was going to bring you into the post and brag on your abilities with IT. But, I figured it was such a pathetic post, I would leave you out of it, lol.

Sorry Bert,

I think of you first and foremost as a doc/pediatrician, and those other three as full time IT experts--no ill will meant!!! You seem to have a vast expertise with the server, and backup stuff and faxing things, but you helped me most on how to properly use I in a sentence (still can't do it--too many years in West Virginia) and properly spell ALOT. LOL!!! I should have included you, but I think of you as a different hybrid beast --doc/computer whiz. My apology and I do appreciate your help too!!!

Oh and you taught me how to change my post--Absolutely Wendell too!!!!

Ah shucks, all I know is how to press the button to turn it on. (Oh yeah, and use the mouse thingy a little bit too)

Thanks jimmie.

@Wendell,

Well at least you're ahead of my former partner who just reached around and pulled the plug out. Never figured that one out.

You used the mouse? I thought you were just waiting for Win 8 and the touchscreen.

But touchscreens cost more money ;(

What happened to: "And, did I tell you, they're free, lol?"

Bert, I love when you brag.

There is not a single doc on this forum that can't become more knowledgeable about IT if they wanted to and get to the point to where they are setting up their own domain, etc.

JamesNT

Not always; I have some CRTs in storage (circa 1992) that have fingerprints all over their faces - those were the original touchscreens, all 14 glorious inches.

I know you do John. And, I knew you were going to comment, lol.

I appreciate the compliment. I think....