[Villages PL]

I think it may be too soon to tell. It's still relatively new and, as with most new things, there's a lot of promotional excitement and this has been promoted by a full page of advertising every week.

Also, from my experience, bad reviews are frowned upon so you might not hear anything bad about The Villages Health Care System. But there have been some who expressed disappointment.

[duhbear]

The Healthcare Service is very good.

On the other hand, the United Healthcare Villages HMO is something else and all of the doctors other than PCPs (read most of the specialists) are not a part of it.

I recently switched to the United Healthcare Plan F. Still use the same PCP but now I can also go to the specialists in TV rather than driving down to Tavares.

[Villages PL]

We were talking about Medicare fraud on another thread and some good advice was to ask lots of questions. And that should be the case even if you feel sure there's no fraud.

It's my contention that it's vitally important to know who's paying the "generous salaries" for doctor's services because it has the potential to have a considerable impact on patient healthcare. (It was stated that the Village's Clinic doctors are receiving generous salaries.)

Example: Suppose (in any community) that generous salaries are being paid to doctors by a hospital. The hospital would stand to gain financially when those doctors refer patients for surgery. If a doctor doesn't refer enough patients, that doctor's employment contract will not be renewed when it expires. And those who do refer lots of patients are likely to get a salary increase.

Would you want an important decision, like whether or not to get surgery, to be based on the financial considerations of the doctor and the hospital? If not, you need to ask your doctor to prove his or her source of income, and the source shouldn't be a hospital. That goes for your PCP and your specialist. If your doctor refuses to answer the question by saying it's confidential, then you should know that there's likely a conflict of interest and you should try to find another source of healthcare.

BTW, none of the above is illegal. As a matter of fact, it's becoming more and more common all across the country. Large hospitals are buying small hospitals and then buying doctor's practices. As a consequence, more and more doctors are on hospital payrolls. The name of the game is to do as much surgery as possible because surgery is hugely profitable.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

We were talking about Medicare fraud on another thread and some good advice was to ask lots of questions. And that should be the case even if you feel sure there's no fraud.

It's my contention that it's vitally important to know who's paying the "generous salaries" for doctor's services because it has the potential to have a considerable impact on patient healthcare.

Example: Suppose (in any community) that generous salaries are being paid to doctors by a hospital. The hospital would stand to gain financially when those doctors refer patients for surgery. If a doctor doesn't refer enough patients, that doctor's employment contract will not be renewed when it expires. And those who do refer lots of patients are likely to get a salary increase.

Would you want an important decision, like whether or not to get surgery, to be based on the financial considerations of the doctor and the hospital? If not, you need to ask your doctor to prove his or her source of income, and the source shouldn't be a hospital. That goes for your PCP and your specialist. If your doctor refuses to answer the question by saying it's confidential, then you should know that there's likely a conflict of interest and you should try to find another source of healthcare.

BTW, none of the above is illegal. As a matter of fact, it's becoming more and more common all across the country. Large hospitals are buying small hospitals and then buying doctor's practices. As a consequence, more and more doctors are on hospital payrolls. The name of the game is to do as much surgery as possible because surgery is hugely profitable.

No wonder some patients are "walked to the door".

[dbussone]

I'm not sure why VPL continues to refer to "generous" physician salaries. I'm posting some below for informational purposes. Let's also remember that these folks typically have 8-10 years of education/training beyond college and may start practice with a $100+K in student loans to repay.

People with Jobs as Physicians / Doctors Median Salary by Job
Job
National Salary Data (?)
$0$100K$200K$300K
Physician / Doctor, Internal Medicine
857 salaries
$170,322
Family Physician / Doctor
831 salaries
$160,848
Physician / Doctor, General Practice
504 salaries
$137,881
Physician / Doctor, Emergency Room (ER)
425 salaries
$209,183
Physician / Doctor, Radiologist
359 salaries
$290,353
Physician / Doctor, Neurologist
255 salaries
$197,228
Physician / Doctor, Oncologist
228 salaries
$242,260
Country: United States | Currency: USD | Updated: 7 Feb 2015 | Individuals Reporting: 5,134

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by dbussone

I'm not sure why VPL continues to refer to "generous" physician salaries.

This is the way it has always been presented in statements emanating from those involved in its creation. There was a link put up not too long ago that contained the phrase "generous salaries". As you may have noticed I put the phrase in quotation marks in my post.

[Villages PL]

I don't believe one can tell if a health care system is good just by reading a short series of anecdotes. It would require more than that. You would need an observational study to look at large numbers of favorable versus unfavorable patient outcomes.

Unfavorable outcomes might average about 5 or 6%? perhaps? So you could get as many as 30, 40, or 50 people saying that patient care is great, while unfavorable outcomes might be as high as 10 or 12 %.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

I don't believe one can tell if a health care system is good just by reading a short series of anecdotes. It would require more than that. You would need an observational study to look at large numbers of favorable versus unfavorable patient outcomes.

Unfavorable outcomes might average about 5 or 6%? perhaps? So you could get as many as 30, 40, or 50 people saying that patient care is great, while unfavorable outcomes might be as high as 10 or 12 %.

What would you consider good? A health care system that encouraged the diet that you use?

[gomoho]

My husband and I had a bad experience - misdiagnosis. My dear friend who is a RN went with her husband and the doctor would not listen. Now Dr. Noel, who I understand was one of the best has left the practice. I report - you decide.

[obxgal]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

I don't believe one can tell if a health care system is good just by reading a short series of anecdotes. It would require more than that. You would need an observational study to look at large numbers of favorable versus unfavorable patient outcomes.

Unfavorable outcomes might average about 5 or 6%? perhaps? So you could get as many as 30, 40, or 50 people saying that patient care is great, while unfavorable outcomes might be as high as 10 or 12 %.

We aren't "reading a short series of anecdotes". Those answering your question have been there and seen the Doctors. Both I and my husband are happy with our doctor.

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

What would you consider good? A health care system that encouraged the diet that you use?

Right down to the brand of olive oil.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by gomoho

My husband and I had a bad experience - misdiagnosis. My dear friend who is a RN went with her husband and the doctor would not listen. Now Dr. Noel, who I understand was one of the best has left the practice. I report - you decide.

I'm not sure I understand. Was it Dr. Noel who misdiagnosed your condition and wouldn't listen to your friend? And do you think she left the clinic because of patient's complaints?

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by obxgal

We aren't "reading a short series of anecdotes". Those answering your question have been there and seen the Doctors. Both I and my husband are happy with our doctor.

I was referring to the purpose of the thread. The OP asked for pros and cons of The Villages health care system. That was her question, not mine. And, in that context, my advice is to be skeptical of a relatively small sampling of anecdotes.

If, for example, 10 or 12 patients out of 100 have a bad outcome that could be a bad sign. So 40, 50, or more people could show up on this thread giving a good review and it may not be the whole story. People of an advanced age with multiple health conditions can die from inappropriate care. And, if they do die, it's unlikely they will show up on this board to complain about it.

Also, we don't know if or how many of the responders to this thread work for The Villages Health Care System. We can only assume that all replies are above board. That alone eliminates any certainty.

[gomoho]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

I'm not sure I understand. Was it Dr. Noel who misdiagnosed your condition and wouldn't listen to your friend? And do you think she left the clinic because of patient's complaints?

No it was not Dr. Noel - I have only heard wonderful things about her which concerns me that she left.

The two situations of misdiagnosis were done by two different doctors. The doctor I had was let go - my friend's misdiagnosis was just recently done.

[luckygirl]

I was happy with the Villages Health Care System, but I am know considering finding a local doctor out of their network (recommendations are appreciated) I am in the middle of a health issue, have seen the doctor several times in the last month, have gone for blood work twice. The latest blood work was done on Feb 13th. Finally saw the results in my patient portal on Feb 17th; called that morning to discuss, emailed the doc on the 18th asking them to call me to discuss, called again this morning asking to speak with someone about the results - still waiting for a call back. This is no way to treat a patient. I have gone from very upset to very mad. Has anyone else experienced this with the villages health care system?