I'd be very curious as to how it works when it's not so streamlined - how they handle the exceptions to the rule.

For example, if I'm one of the 150 patients of a particular doctor, what if I don't like what he says concerning something that ails me? (Like my wife's doctor who has certain blind spots when it comes to problems that are exclusively female - not everything mind you, just a few things where he really seems out of touch). How does getting a 2nd opinion work?

Originally Posted by ijusluvit

Why would you suggest I'm a "little hysterical"?

Why not refrain from commenting, or just agree it's rather ironic that a noted conservative is orchestrating what is best called a "liberal" approach to medical care.

How about if I suggest you are a stubborn, intransigent conservative who cannot admit when our society might profit from a blend of private enterprise and public management?

I have been on the receiving end of stubborn, intransigent conservative tripe for years. It is a method of driving off anyone and everyone with even the most simple alternative to any issue. But keep in mind, there are some on this forum that supported Bachman, then Perry, then Santorum and even called me names when I continued to throw my support toward Romney. Well, look at who turned out to be the three stooges of the GOP candidates.

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

There are many doctors throughout the U.S.--I'm familiar with a group in north suburban Chicago--that are beginning to practice medicine using the following model...

Each doctor agrees to provide unlimited treatment to a maximum of 150 patients for an annual fee of $10,000, payable in advance. The doctor would no longer file for any insurance claims, nor would they maintain the record-keeping and billing systems needed to obtain payment for either Medicare or any private insurance company. However, each patient would be free to file and personally administer such claims using information provided to him by the doctor.

Using this model, each doctor in the practice would have an annual gross income of $1.5 million. From that amount, they would pay for all necessary office space, reception, nursing, insurance, and all office operating expenses. The model would suggest that each physician would have a pre-tax "salary" of about $1 million per year.

By limiting their patient load to only 150 patients, they would have sufficient time to schedule hour-long appointments with each patient on almost a monthly basis. Patients could see their doctor as often as they wished with a guarantee that they could schedule an appointment on very short notice and not endure any more than a few minutes wait in the doctor's waiting room. The doctors could really get to know each of their patients on a personal and intensive basis, providing only the necessary testing and care based on that intimate knowledge of each patient.

This is a model that could be very effective in actually "bending the cost curve" while at the same time vastly improving medical care. If I understand what Gary Morse is proposing, the new Villages system is pretty close to this model.

Socialized medicine? Absolutely not! A system that will likely result in much improved medical care and results? Probably.

So the arithmetic works, don't you think?

I've yet to to see any reference to how the costs for medical treatment would actually be paid in the Villages model. Will participants be members of the 10k Club? That of course is the polar opposite of socialized medicine, and I don't think this is What Mr. Morse has in mind. More likely he intends to work within the 'system', charging standard patient rates and submitting them for for insurance or medicare reimbursement for example. He will then be in a position to control costs and care to the extent he wishes to do so. Therefore, his model could well become a significant move away from the independent, private doctor/patient enterprise. I don't have a problem with this because I think it's about time models like this were put in place.

And I agree, hooray for Mr. Morse!

Originally Posted by The Villager II

I have been on the receiving end of stubborn, intransigent conservative tripe for years. It is a method of driving off anyone and everyone with even the most simple alternative to any issue. But keep in mind, there are some on this forum that supported Bachman, then Perry, then Santorum and even called me names when I continued to throw my support toward Romney. Well, look at who turned out to be the three stooges of the GOP candidates.

You complain about me and you do likewise. You never learn. A whole post just to criticize me and not even comment about the issue at hand.....typical.

Originally Posted by RichieLion

Really?, a club?.......Is this just an assumption or guess, or did you read this?

This doesn't sound right to me.

No, not really a club but I called it a club for lack of a better word. The generous incomes that were talked about are not just going to materialize out of thin air. So I assume they will be paid by those who sign up. You sign up, pay your yearly fee, and they agree to take care of your health care needs. In that case it would be a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO).

If the doctors only take care of relatively few people, with no waiting, it can't be a walk-in-clinic that's open to the public. In other words, it can't be inclusive, it has to be exclusive. Supply and demand: A lot of people will want to be a part of this but there will only be relatively few opinings. Therefore, when the supply is limited, the fee will be high.

No, I didn't read about this.