Comments on: Could primary care actually win?

By: xrayvision

xrayvision — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:48:11 +0000

I mean, the idea that ordering blood tests is equivalent to threading a needle between the hepatic and portal veins, and therefore should be reimbursed the same is ludicrous.

Look I agree that you guys aren’t paid enough. You couldn’t pay me 700K to do what you guys do. But it’s not because its difficult.

By: xrayvision

xrayvision — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:41:19 +0000

First off, no radiologist makes 700k. Even if you work in rural nebraska that salary is way off base. Average radiology is 350 at most and since it takes twice to three times as long to train a radiologist than a primary care physician, its no surprise they get paid that much more.

Second, its hard for me to feel bad for you because you have to scribble a few words on an H&P, order labs and mucomist. I know thats its annoying but a midlevel could do that and probably should.

By: Kevinh76

Kevinh76 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:10:41 +0000

I agree with everything Solo Dr. Says. I would also add that increasingly, the local radiologists never see an ultrasound that doesn’t require a CT to follow up on soft findings, or a CT or MRI that doesn’t require a follow up PET scan. They should not be paid for the second study if it is normal. Otherwise why wouldn’t they continue this practice? It will probably accelerate as the fee per study goes down.

If 8% is the best they can do primary care is sooo dead. This was the chance for congress to fix it and they still get bogged down in special interest politics. 8% is an insult when these radioogists leave at 5 PM and bring home 700 K as if they deserve it.

By: solo dr

solo dr — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:55:37 +0000

It gets tiring hearing radiologists gripe about the pay cuts for procedures. At my local hosptials the CT and MRI scanners run almost 24 hours a day, with radiologists only on site between 7:30 and 5 PM. The rest of the time has an out of state night coverage teleradiology setup, meaning no call for most of the time for my local radiologists.
My local radiologists literally are each paid $700,000 a year. If a 30 percent cut in fees would equal a straight 30 percent cut in salary, then the salary would be $490,000. This is still around three times what a primary care doctor makes annually.
When a radiologist does a proceudre, such as a liver biopsy or thyroid biopsy, I have to privde the H&P and preop labs. If a patient has contrast and has diabetes with an elevated creatinine, I am the one ordering the mucomyst and the preop and 2 day post procedure creatinine. I am the one holding the metformin and then restarting it, depending on teh post dye creatinine.
I also am the person preauthorizing MRIs and CTs. I never thought I would have to learn radiolgoy billing CPT codes to practice primary care medicine.
Even with an 8% raise, primary care is still at the bottom of the salaries for a lot of unpaid work.

By: jrossi

jrossi — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:42:24 +0000

I am a family doc. Eight percent is not enough, not even close. Unless they come up with a hell of a lot more than that Fam med will continue to circle the drain.

By: Web Media Daily – Thurs. July 2, 2009 | Reinventing Yourself...

Web Media Daily – Thurs. July 2, 2009 | Reinventing Yourself... — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:33:00 +0000

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