Old Folks Thread

[Andy_ROC]

This is a VERY real situation. Over the last decade more and more doctors are hospital employees and no longer in private practice because they do NOT want the overhead

The so-called New generation workforce is no longer the Marcus Welby stay in the job forever type of physician.

They will not put the time in and want to have a life away from the job.

So like in any business venture or have to be trade-offs

if you want to be an employed physician you going to have to do things ( like meet financial benchmarks by generating revenue to not only cover their cost BUT also the allocated pro rata share of the Hospital overhead that supports them )

the employer has to stay financially viable and requires the FULL and pro rata share of overhead be met


You see the tradeoffs :if you're a private practice physician you can call your own shot but YOU also have All the Overhead and aUPFRONT costs and full not prorata share of overhead too.

If you want to be an EMPLOYED doc well ya GOTTA meet benchmarks

So therein lies the rub.

In addition : dealing with insurance company and third party payers is getting increasingly complex in its paperwork demands and it's affecting physician burnout

My job from 2017 until late 2019 was working the IT side of medical practice acquisitions. The two large hospital systems in my region were competing/racing to buy up all private practices of all disciplines--- small and large, rural and city. These docs were selling to the highest bidder. In part because they saw $$$s and in part because they didn't want to run their own practices anymore.

The medical provider shortage is real. Need more in medicine and fewer lawyers

 

[Campgottagopee]

Depends on the situation.

My older brother was a scientist at Goddard Space Center, part of NASA, for his entire career. He didn't retire until he was close to 70. Have a ski buddy who works for U.S. Census. While he could retire in 2023, he's going to stay another year or two. Had a chat recently with a soil specialist who came to inspect our septic system who has worked 20+ years for the local county. He may retire in a few years before he turns 60. He'll get a pension. He'll probably get another job in his field or be a consultant, partially because he's an older parent and will still have kids in school.

Very true. Unfortunately, my buddy was right smack dab in the middle of the pandemic. It truly took is toll on him. Honestly, there were a few of us that were very concerned about him during that time.

ETA....he writes policy for NYS, specifically in the elderly health care dept. You can imagine how bombarded he must've been.

 

[DomB]

1. Do what you like but like what you do.

2 Get busy making a life not a living.

3 Life ain't a dress rehearsal see number two.

4. Money and stuff are short-term satisfiers : They're never going to get you there .
You got to be happy and happiness comes through people, relationships and time for self-reflection and fulfillment.

Peace out

Used number three in some advice today to a stressed out colleague.

 

[DomB]

Lots of wisdom guys and girls thanks for sharing.

 

[DomB]

My job from 2017 until late 2019 was working the IT side of medical practice acquisitions. The two large hospital systems in my region were competing/racing to buy up all private practices of all disciplines--- small and large, rural and city. These docs were selling to the highest bidder. In part because they saw $$$s and in part because they didn't want to run their own practices anymore.

The medical provider shortage is real. Need more in medicine and fewer lawyers

What I don’t get with all the consolidation at least in metro areas are that these things (the mega hospital systems) are in theory not for profits.

I don’t claim to understand the ‘industry’ of medicisen. I did have a friend who was an author or accountant for a hospital and he basically said they were allowed to make a small profit so they would maximize their capital base to increase the absolute value of said profit.

 

[DomB]

Only one typo in that one I think.

 

[Benny Profane]

Indeed,health insurance ramps up at a rate exceeding inflation..... very difficult issue for many .

Several organizations offered enriched increases in salary rather than health insurance....


as you age this insurance is a disproportionate annual cost for many . yet many are AGAINST socialized medicine .

Things have to change there is a crisis in this country finding doctors and we have an increasing percentage of geriatric patients as a result of the boomer generation now. reaching retirement age.

The crisis is only going to worsen unless priorities change at the national and state levels .

Hospitals are in crisis and running in the red due to the pandemic and ask anyone who works in the business there are staff shortages that are only.
increasing as we speak.

Many smaller community hospitals have closed and unless significant change occurs soon others will follow .

Large metropolitan systems Will survive because they can spread the overhead. But smaller community hospitals because of distance find it often difficult to merge and or affiliate because of distance.

A very thorny issue that needs a lot of work and incentives

What's needed is for the average American to accept the fact that they have to do things to make themselves healthier in sunset times. I realized that thirty years ago as I watched my father die from bad habits and had genes. He smoked, didn't exercise, ate a classic meat and potatoes diet, stressed out. His brother/my uncle died of diabetes 1 at 60, and my father developed diabetes 2, with all the issues that brings. I knew I had to fight that off, and have been pretty successful with no smoking, exercise, and good food.

Most Covid deaths were old, overweight people. If it hit in 1900, it would have been no whoop, because most died at 50-60. Now we have a ton of old people in awful shape expecting pills to fix them. Nope. Gotta work a little to stay alive.

 

[Warp daddy]

What's needed is for the average American to accept the fact that they have to do things to make themselves healthier in sunset times. I realized that thirty years ago as I watched my father die from bad habits and had genes. He smoked, didn't exercise, ate a classic meat and potatoes diet, stressed out. His brother/my uncle died of diabetes 1 at 60, and my father developed diabetes 2, with all the issues that brings. I knew I had to fight that off, and have been pretty successful with no smoking, exercise, and good food.

Most Covid deaths were old, overweight people. If it hit in 1900, it would have been no whoop, because most died at 50-60. Now we have a ton of old people in awful shape expecting pills to fix them. Nope. Gotta work a little to stay alive.

And SOMETIMES even that healthy active lifestyles behavior is NOT Effective Benny .Had 2 friends skiers ,bikers and gym rats that succumbed to Covid.

Ergo there's no guarantees in Life

Just be the Best you,you Can be

 

[Campgottagopee]

And SOMETIMES even that healthy active lifestyles behavior is NOT Effective Benny .Had 2 friends skiers ,bikers and gym rats that succumbed to Covid.

Ergo there's no guarantees in Life

Just be the Best you,you Can be

I agree

 

[Benny Profane]

What's a pension?

It's just like that Social Security thing, except, unless you're really really lucky, no COLA.