We have an encryption service, so it is HIPAA compliant. I’ve only had one patinet’s spam filter totaly reject it. And it doesn’t stop the VIagra refill requests that one would send from his workplace. I’d repply with encryption, but his initial email is out there on the www.

And it did save a life. A patient emailed me with weird symptoms. I didn’t like the sound of them & said to get thee to the ER. She showed it to her boss & he let her go w/o an argument. Turned out that may have saved her life. Glad she didin’t have to wait until I got to the bottom of my in-box on my desk.

No, I don’t get paid for this. Yes, I’d like to. But, in the managed care world, managing a panel is almost as good as billling for a visit.

Still get sued, don’t get paid.

(Still liable, not remunerated.)

Or else I for one would really like email medicine.

–drncc–

Thanks for the straightforward response. I agree with your assessment that physicians like to sit around and whine a lot and not do things about it. I have ranted on this in the P4P discussion. We hate the idea of things because other people are doing them to us. Well, why don’t we do it better ourselves?

In the e-mail arena, we have definite plans; we just are taking care to implement properly. Our office is already ahead of the curve on this stuff and we intend to stay there. This has allowed us to push the market to some extent, as people recognize what is actually possible if an office is run differently.

I am not saying we are there yet – the present reimbursement system handcuffs primary care physicians terribly in our ability to invest in change – overhead margins are very slim and can kill your paycheck if you are not careful. Yet it is possible to make big changes and there are many starting to do so.

Another big part of the problem is that most of the medical societies are more apt to cry for the status quo (even when it sucks) than to lead change. Physicians may not be able to run the show, but we certainly can do more than we are doing now.

I’m not talking about that transition – I’m talking the transition to a system that would allow you to be paid for returning that email, for spending more time with your clients, etc.

I’m talking about proposals to eliminate the third party payer system that you guys complain so much about. I know it’s not simple – but it’s not like it’s a new problem, and we’ve seen little legislatively from physicians.

You don’t always have to be a contrarian. I was not personally attacking you, I just feel that someone on the outside does not understand the difficulty of making this type of transition. I speak nationally on the adoption of computers in medical practice and yet I feel it is difficult. Can’t you take my word for it?

Settle down, Saint Physician. Somehow, you all seem to find time to make it to the statehouse to cut the recovery of the legitimately injured in the hope of making more money from redued premiums.

You’re the wealthiest profession in the world – a few of you can’t take some time off to develop some legislation? The rest of you wouldn’t chip in a few bucks now to support those who take the time off?

Be serious. You have the most to gain by change, in terms of compensation and quality of life. So where are your proposals?

Doctors, who are primarily interested in taking care of their patients and only secondarily invested in making a living, don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of making any meaningful difference.

I know it’s not simple. But do you guys even have a complex proposal for rectifying the problem? So far you’re heavy on complaints, short on solutions.