This may be true but the reality is $ and time are the primary motivators. Primary care docs just want to potentially double their income to match most specialists while usually having to work much less hours on a more favorable schedule. Can’t blame primary care physicians for wanting to do this but it certainly doesn’t do anything on the macroeconomic level to health address issues with access to primary care physicians.

As for a physician who says they largely don’t respond to financial incentives, I say BS. Physicians who work on a piecemeal rate are much more productive than their brethren on salary. There are a ton of other areas too where a majority of physicians respond to economic incentives. Doesn’t make them any different from most people but idolized physicians who have a higher value ethos than $ largely don’t exist either.

Patients may be able to spend more time with their physicians but I am highly suspect that this results in better outcomes or reduced costs (especially if you properly adjust the outcomes/cost measures for a concierge patient mix who are much more likely to be better educated and wealthier than a typical primary care practice’s patient mix).

I know for a fact that some researchers have tried to look into this exact question and have been met with some fierce resistance. If this model is so superior, then why the reluctance/hesitation to see if the marketing message holds any water in regards to outcomes or costs?

My bet is that the research would show exactly what is coming out about physician-owned hospitals – that they provide neither cheaper care or better outcomes contrary to both claims. If anything, there is a clear fiduciary conflict of interest that is not being justified in terms of better quality or costs.

One of the things I was most disappointed to see recently was that Stark backed off his restrictions on physician-owned hospitals in the recent SCHIP that was passed. Almost completely went unnoticed since everyone was yelling and screaming about insuring illegal aliens. Big dollars for certain surgeons and other select physicians with largely no benefits largely for the rest of society.

This may be true but the reality is $ and time. Primary care docs just want to potentially double their income to match most specialists while usually having to work much less hours on a schedule.

Yes, we do need many more PCPs, but until our system can determine a fair way to compensate them, I am not sure that we will see a large growth of that physician population in the very near future.

And RegularDoc, your idea of charging a $50 fee (call it an administration fee) is great to help support the cost of the EMR..

GREAT interchange from all of you.. Thanks for your input.