Primary care physicians: The struggle to keep revenues flowing

Private physicians with dropping income have a few options. First, they can take fewer vacations and work longer hours. Second, they can supplement their income by joining the military reserves or the National Guard (this option is less popular lately). Third, they can restrict their practice to patients with higher-paying types of insurance. Fourth, they can market expensive, high-tech services and cosmetic services to this small population of well-insured and high-income individuals. These last two strategies will work in areas with sufficient numbers of higher income individuals, but fails in communities with high numbers of poorly insured individuals. Finally, as physician income shrinks, they look at what they can earn as salaried employees in a large physician group like Kaiser Permanente or Sutter Health Care, or a state institution like the Veterans Home or the state prison system.

Dysfunction within the medical system [Via Napa Valley Register]

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