Doctor as renegade -- accepts cash, checks, eggs or pie, not insurance Excerpt:
It's more a scene from the days of frontier medicine than from the modern health care system. And that's because Rutten Wasson, 42, is a throwback to a time before HMOs, electronic health records and hospitals with fountains in their lobbies. She sees patients the same day they call if she's not booked up, spends at least a half-hour per visit compared to the more typical 15 minutes and usually charges only $50 for a consultation. She takes cash or check, but no insurance and sometimes accepts gratuities of a dozen fresh eggs or a pie. "I have a few bottles of homemade wine in the fridge from patients," says Rutten Wasson. "In summer, I'll get pickles or tomatoes. I've received pork sausage, the kind that would convert a vegetarian." In an era of high overhead, ever more byzantine regulations and payment models, cuts to Medicaid and Medicare benefits, and large medical systems swallowing independent practices, Rutten Wasson relishes her straight-forward manner of practicing. Since many federal health care reforms such as those requiring electronic medical records are tied to Medicare, they tend not to apply to her. Compared to other doctors, says Rutten Wasson, "I don't waste anywhere near as much time on paperwork. Yes, I do other things. I take out my own trash. I clean my own instruments. I clean my own toilets." She prefers this to working within the insurance system. "I'm autonomous. I don't let third-party payers or clinic staff get between me and the patient." It didn't take long before Rutten Wasson became disenchanted. She was shocked to learn how much money the clinic brought in. "They made four times what they were paying me. I looked at that and thought, where is the money going? Rent can't be that high. I had the most hideous art and ugly furniture. My assistant wasn't paid that much. Where is it all going?" She answers her own question. "It was going to administration, tiers and tiers and tiers of management, all of whom were busy making rules to make them look busy. Mostly they made my job more difficult." Read more here: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/06/20/ground-level-rural-health-care-renegade-rural-doctor/ At least Obamacare will remove some layers of administration and tiers and tier and tiers of management. J - Ninety percent of politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation. - Henry Kissinger Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy some more tunnel. - John Quin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:339433 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
