Salary, private practice and obamacare

[username456789]

I love how this is the description for making <150k.

I'm being intentionally dramatic.

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[StudyLater]

I'm being intentionally dramatic.

Ah sorry. Premeds don't know how to do this well. That's why we're scared of patient actor MMIs.

 

[Mad Jack]

Solution: Bankrupcy & never taking a loan again for the rest of your life.

@Mad Jack you selfish (i.e. economically intelligent) sonofab*tch.

Here's what it comes down to: why should I desire to provide services to a society that does not properly value those services? I don't owe them a damn thing. And, looking at the economics, 150k would be apocalyptic to my future, given the opportunity costs and my debt. Just the interest on my loan and taxes would eat up half of my pay, leaving me with a fairly paltry salary for the 60 hour weeks I'll likely be putting in post-residency.

 

[StudyLater]

why should I desire to provide services to a society that does not properly value those services?

Cuz you're a nice person that likes to help people. Turn the other cheek, Jack.

 

[Mad Jack]

Cuz you're a nice person that likes to help people. Turn the other cheek, Jack.

 

[allantois]

Cuz you're a nice person that likes to help people. Turn the other cheek, Jack.

You are confusing psychologists with psychiatrists

I can see how they will jump on doing psychopharm, when the later start leaving the field.

See, no shortage whatsoever!

 

[DOFOSHO]

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[Nietzschelover]

The hysteria in this thread is a little mind-numbing. There are psychiatrists soon after residency making north of 250K in state prisons. Do you know how much nurses make? You think physicians are going to make less than nurses and PAs???

 

[allantois]

The hysteria in this thread is a little mind-numbing. There are psychiatrists soon after residency making north of 250K in state prisons. Do you know how much nurses make? You think physicians are going to make less than nurses and PAs???

I agree that we are being overly dramatic here, as the government will come after surgeons who make 500k+ billing medicare, long before they are after diagnosticians who charge $100 for a consultation.

 

[username456789]

Huh? The government has already been coming after most specialties. Reducing reimbursements across the board for procedures/visit codes, bundling payments, not reimbursing inpatient bounce-backs, exponentially increasing amount of non-medical work per patient encounter to effectively ration care by decreasing the number of patients you can physically see during business hours, etc . . .

This isn't some crazy conspiracy theory, and we're not talking about someone singling you out specifically. But many, many broad policies and changes are already negatively impacting a physician's ability to prosper. We should all plan on having to work harder and harder each year for less and less. That is the new reality.

 

[justreachforthesky]

Does anyone actually have insight on this matter?

Pay will go down for everyone. It's simple economics and it's no secret to many, especially current practicing physicians. This is why med schools wanted such a drastic friggin change to the MCAT: just for you guys to venture out of the basic sciences and maybe read an economics article or two. Unlike nurses, whom have a strong lobby and an even stronger union, doctors are under represented in politics and even in public relations. Although amongst the most educated groups of people in this country, doctors hold less than 15 seats in congress. Compare that to lawyers, bankers and businessmen and you start to see a trend. Not only has pay gone down but it will continue to go down as the incremental Affordable Care Act cuts are enacted (the first one was a few months ago, a nearly 50% cut for primary care reimbursements. specialists, you're next.) So you don't need a "magic ball", you just need to get off student doctor, look into the one piece of legislation that may dictate your future more than anything else, and become more well rounded on the areas that WILL impact your future.