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- Mar 17, 2003
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Was at a nye party last night and had a conversation with a urologist and orthopedic surgeon. They were discussing how the Immediate future of medicine will be multi-specialties group specialties (i.e. subspecialty surgeons employing their own hospitalists, anesthesiiologists, etc..,).
The conversation turned to pathology and prostate biopsies. The urologist addressed me and said "I know you are not going to like hearing us but we have a pathologist. We bill for the tc and then pay him a salary which is about 33% of the pc". He said the pathologist was a gu trained guy a couple years out of fellowship and did the work for five different urology groups He then stated that the local branch of ameripath had low balled the insurance companies and contracted for a value that was so low that insurance companies made the urologist's pathologist out of network. So now for the major insurance companies all their prostate biopsies have to go ameripath or they patient will be miffed that they are paying for an out of network pathologist. He said they were going to give it another month or two and then probably fire their pathologist.
I have mixed feelings about this. I am glad the urologist's pathologist is going to get fired. These guys that will work for a fraction of the pc are parriahs. I don't care if he has a new mortgage and kids starting off in grade school. He is a turncoat pathologist, and he is reaping what he sowed. Plus I am glad to see the revenue source for the urologists dry up. It has been a highly unethical uncollegial practice on their part. But the power move by ameripath doesn't bode well for the field as a whole. It is not a system that values quality, service or relationships. It is a sweatshop mentality. So begins 2013.
The conversation turned to pathology and prostate biopsies. The urologist addressed me and said "I know you are not going to like hearing us but we have a pathologist. We bill for the tc and then pay him a salary which is about 33% of the pc". He said the pathologist was a gu trained guy a couple years out of fellowship and did the work for five different urology groups He then stated that the local branch of ameripath had low balled the insurance companies and contracted for a value that was so low that insurance companies made the urologist's pathologist out of network. So now for the major insurance companies all their prostate biopsies have to go ameripath or they patient will be miffed that they are paying for an out of network pathologist. He said they were going to give it another month or two and then probably fire their pathologist.
I have mixed feelings about this. I am glad the urologist's pathologist is going to get fired. These guys that will work for a fraction of the pc are parriahs. I don't care if he has a new mortgage and kids starting off in grade school. He is a turncoat pathologist, and he is reaping what he sowed. Plus I am glad to see the revenue source for the urologists dry up. It has been a highly unethical uncollegial practice on their part. But the power move by ameripath doesn't bode well for the field as a whole. It is not a system that values quality, service or relationships. It is a sweatshop mentality. So begins 2013.