At 03:29 PM 3/21/2010, you wrote:
At 10:02 AM 3/21/2010, Eric Goldstein wrote:I will take issue with your implication that MDs in this country earn 50-75 thousand dollar salaries; the average PCP salary in the US is twice that.I do not know about PCP's. I do know what Family Practice physicians make: I know at least two dozen, and none of them make more than $60,000 per annum. That is why medical students work like Trojans to earn their way into a specialty. They even will take psychiatry, for years the Dud Zone of medicine, rather than FP.Marc
For the first time in many years, on "Match day", (March 18), there was a great increase in the percentage of med students opting for Primary Care. I can't find the article on MSNBC.com so I can't give the percentage. I do know that in prior years there were fewer opting for Primary Care.
Also, I know from 35 years of supporting medical billing and records systems, that docs in rural areas get a bonus payment from Medicare.
I also know that Medicare billing is very messy and poorly handled. It takes a persistent office manager to get the $ from Medicare for their docs.
Medicare subcontracts the actual billing and follow up to outside agencies, there being 2 in California for example.
This is further complicated in that the agencies are re-selected every 3-4 years so the billers have to learn a whole new set of rules.
DAW
