Indigent Care or Private

[JoBlo]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

How many people hear plan to pursue careers treating the indigent and how many plan to pursue privatized healthcare and why?

Both have their benifits and drawbacks. Indigent care gives someone a feeling that they are treating the financially needy and those that need help the most. Its provides more of (not totally, but slightly more) feeling of altruism and helping the poor which are good feelings to have. The drawback is that what you can and what you can't do is more limited and you will be more apt to treat persons in a revolving door fashion (come in, get fixed up, go out into a bad living situation and get messed up again, come back in, and so on and so on). Your patients will more than likely be less educated with poorer health decisions on their part. You will also be mired in government red tape and bearacracy.

Privatized patients has the benefits of treating people that "on average" have healthier lifestyles and are more apt to take better care of themselves. Medicinal and therapeutic options (the financial dragon less of a limitation to prescriptions, etc). Your patients on average will be better educated. The drawback may be, depending on your on how you feel, that your more an employee of the privilage than a healer of the poor (less romantic to some).

Personally I haven't decided which I will pursue. I can ultimately see myself jumping from one to the other a couple of times in my career.

 

[bananaface]

These are by no means mutually exclusive options. It seems like you are asking if caring for people is more or less important than making money. But, even the most money hungry person could pursue some indigent care if he/she was able to write off the loss come tax time.

 

[mshheaddoc]

I agree with bananaface. I know some that want to practice indigent care exclusively but honestly where I see have seen alot of discrepancy in where to practice have been primary care specialties such as peds or FM. If you aren't in private practice, this issue to me might be null and void because you are on a hospital salary. In the hospital, you serve whomever walks in the door because your salary might not be based on "who you serve" but rather what you do.

 

[JoBlo]

These are by no means mutually exclusive options. It seems like you are asking if caring for people is more or less important than making money. But, even the most money hungry person could pursue some indigent care if he/she was able to write off the loss come tax time.

That's not what I've asked in the least bit and no one mentioned who makes the more money until you did. Where in my post did you read anything mentioning differences in salary?

I guess I need to rephrase the question...hmm...

... your a hospitalist with two hospitals to chose from. One state run with 85% indigent and 15% Medicaid/Medicare. The other private with 85% insured with 15% Medicaid/Medicare. Both hospitals have equally good technological resources, number of beds, diagnostic technology, ORs, etc.

Question is, which one would you rather work in and why?

 

[erichaj]

That's not what I've asked in the least bit and no one mentioned who makes the more money until you did. Where in my post did you read anything mentioning differences in salary?

I guess I need to rephrase the question...hmm...

... your a hospitalist with two hospitals to chose from. One state run with 85% indigent and 15% Medicaid/Medicare. The other private with 85% insured with 15% Medicaid/Medicare. Both hospitals have equally good technological resources, number of beds, diagnostic technology, ORs, etc.

Question is, which one would you rather work in and why?

Based on that question, it would not matter would it. People are people.

Except, the degree of disease may be more severe in the indigent population. Economic reasons may prevent them from health maintenance.

So, I guess it depends on how much of a challenge you like.