Ok but, let’s go with the vaccines, the problem is that physicians do get incentives from health insurance plans for giving shots. “Efficiency bonus” or “quality of care” bonus. If they get a certain percentage of their patients vaccinated, they get a bonus. I can remember the doctors in my office having contests to see who could rack up…
Ok but, let’s go with the vaccines, the problem is that physicians do get incentives from health insurance plans for giving shots. “Efficiency bonus” or “quality of care” bonus. If they get a certain percentage of their patients vaccinated, they get a bonus. I can remember the doctors in my office having contests to see who could rack up the most flu shots in a season. We nurses used to keep count. There was an article where a pediatrician tried to downplay these bonuses as a nothing burger because he said, insurance companies wouldn’t offer incentives to boost numbers of something that would hurt the well-being of children when they are the ones not only footing the bill for the vaccine in the first place, but would also have to foot the bill if the child became vaccine injured. That wouldn’t make sense they said. So, it’s not a conflict of interest, they’re saving lives they said. Ah….but they are footing the bill! They just aren’t calling them or admitting they are vaccine injuries. How many children are developing Crohn’s and POTS and ME/CFS and food allergies and countless other autoimmune and chronic issues that they now require long term care for that they will never tie to their vaccine protocol? I shudder to think. The COVID shots, now that the cost has been rolled over to insurance plans, will have these same bonuses however, I would not be surprised that even when the government alone was paying for them, insurance companies made an actuarial decision that they would potentially lower their costs so substantially (you know, from the winter of death and despair or whatever Biden promised the unjabbed) that they gave doctors bonuses for giving them. Physicians also do still get biased by drug companies to prescribe their meds. It had slowed down to the drug lunch/dinner by the time I left the office but, an article in 2020 said that for every $1 spent on a doctor, they got a $2.64 back in revenue for a 164% return in investment. In years past when they were actually buying doctors football game tickets and taking them out on the town so to speak, this number was a 200-1700% return. So it may only be a free meal, but when you rack up those free meals it’s still like getting a bonus. I used to love Panera and Olive Garden days. All they have to do is prescribe Lipitor and check no substitute permitted. I think that is happening way less now though. Too many consumers are aware of cost saving generics now and insurances have gotten a lot more staunch with their preferred drug lists. Yes, doctors also have specific guidelines they are told by their state to follow. Here in Maine we had the 5210 program for kids with posters all over the walls and gave each well child a free book. You’re not wrong about the premise that decisions are lots of times made for us by committees, boards, etc. looking at us as a collective rather than what is best for us as an individual patient. I have a problem when the doctors are so indoctrinated or set in following a policy that they will actually harm a patient or blatantly do what’s not in their best interest just to save their license or reputation etc. What’s the point of being a doctor then?
Ok but, let’s go with the vaccines, the problem is that physicians do get incentives from health insurance plans for giving shots. “Efficiency bonus” or “quality of care” bonus. If they get a certain percentage of their patients vaccinated, they get a bonus. I can remember the doctors in my office having contests to see who could rack up the most flu shots in a season. We nurses used to keep count. There was an article where a pediatrician tried to downplay these bonuses as a nothing burger because he said, insurance companies wouldn’t offer incentives to boost numbers of something that would hurt the well-being of children when they are the ones not only footing the bill for the vaccine in the first place, but would also have to foot the bill if the child became vaccine injured. That wouldn’t make sense they said. So, it’s not a conflict of interest, they’re saving lives they said. Ah….but they are footing the bill! They just aren’t calling them or admitting they are vaccine injuries. How many children are developing Crohn’s and POTS and ME/CFS and food allergies and countless other autoimmune and chronic issues that they now require long term care for that they will never tie to their vaccine protocol? I shudder to think. The COVID shots, now that the cost has been rolled over to insurance plans, will have these same bonuses however, I would not be surprised that even when the government alone was paying for them, insurance companies made an actuarial decision that they would potentially lower their costs so substantially (you know, from the winter of death and despair or whatever Biden promised the unjabbed) that they gave doctors bonuses for giving them. Physicians also do still get biased by drug companies to prescribe their meds. It had slowed down to the drug lunch/dinner by the time I left the office but, an article in 2020 said that for every $1 spent on a doctor, they got a $2.64 back in revenue for a 164% return in investment. In years past when they were actually buying doctors football game tickets and taking them out on the town so to speak, this number was a 200-1700% return. So it may only be a free meal, but when you rack up those free meals it’s still like getting a bonus. I used to love Panera and Olive Garden days. All they have to do is prescribe Lipitor and check no substitute permitted. I think that is happening way less now though. Too many consumers are aware of cost saving generics now and insurances have gotten a lot more staunch with their preferred drug lists. Yes, doctors also have specific guidelines they are told by their state to follow. Here in Maine we had the 5210 program for kids with posters all over the walls and gave each well child a free book. You’re not wrong about the premise that decisions are lots of times made for us by committees, boards, etc. looking at us as a collective rather than what is best for us as an individual patient. I have a problem when the doctors are so indoctrinated or set in following a policy that they will actually harm a patient or blatantly do what’s not in their best interest just to save their license or reputation etc. What’s the point of being a doctor then?