Neo

iTrader: (4)

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone has heard from FDNewbie?
Is he away on vacation?

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

His account here: Last Activity 08-15-07 12:01 PM

So, it seems he is around.

LT1RX7

I emailed him 2 weeks ago and got the automated response but nothing since

Neo

iTrader: (4)

Must be a busy guy. I'm in the same boat. Emailed him 2 weeks ago and no response. A good friend of his told me he was on vacation.
Must be nice to have alot of time and money to be going away for so long.... If only I had that type of cash...

7_rocket

iTrader: (6)

He just replied to his threads a few hours ago...

Herblenny

iTrader: (13)

I hate to say this but Thats not true... He's actually never on vacation and probably working 80+ hours weeks... And will have about 100-300K debt.. Its called land of Medical school! Ramy wouldn't be relaxing for awhile.. LOL!

Neo

iTrader: (4)

Being medical school is going to be killer! At least after all his hard work he'll be able to charge obscene amounts of money for sec's of work. lol

I hope he's able to get to email soon...

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Def. not on vacation. Just cutting back my hours for the next 3 - 4 weeks drastically b/c I have (yet another) national board licensure exam to take. I've already wrapped up everything for the already US-bound shipment, so by the time I'm done it will have arrived. All other inquiries, orders, etc, I gotta take in my spare time which is at a minimum currently. Plz bear w/ me over the next few weeks, at which point I'll be back on top of my game. Cool?

Thanks
~Ramy

PS: Neo, don't believe the hype. Docs lose essentially all of their adolescence and younger years (up to about 30) in school, full time, doin 80 - 120 hrs a week. And you have about $180,000 in debt upon graduation (the current national average), only to be working longer hours for less pay due to underinsured patients, stingy cut-throat insurance companies, and low-dollar emergent healthcare centers like Physician-assistant and Nurse Practitioner based facilities. So the days of working minimal hours and making bank are LONG gone my friend. Docs may make a lot of money, but they sure put it more time & effort up front and during their practice than virtually any other profession in the US. So IMO, unless you REALLY REALLY love medicine, you're in for one heck of a crappy ride...

PPS: Phil, thanks for making me feel better

Neo

iTrader: (4)

Understandable. Just wanted to stop by and say hi. I'm gonna have a talk with my close friend and tell him you're working your *** off!

This gives me more time for my request.

Good luck on the exam!

Lates,

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

NP...I just left ya a PS in the post above Check it out.

Oh and who's this mystery friend who's got me scheduled on vacation?? Maybe I missed something and should be elsewhere?? lol

Thanks for the kind words btw

~Ramy

spandy

iTrader: (1)

So why is it when I visit the doctor, I get 5 minutes of attention and then a bill for 300 bucks.

Yeah, rough life indeed.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Spandy, that's like asking why you get hit up for a full hour of diagnostics just to have the stealership hook up their diag computer to your ECU to pull the codes. For one, you're paying for the $40,000 diagnostic tool, and 2) that is BY FAR not representative of the mainstay of their work. The average Family Practice physician gets reimbursed $8 PER PATIENT. That's why they're always in a rush to see 30 - 40 patients a day, so they can eat. Literally. They don't make jack.

Keep in mind not all medicine is Family Medicine too There are a ton of other specialties and subspecialties...

And if you wanna get technical and really get down to the core, the reason the entire system went to hell is because of the insurance companies. Managed care is what started the whole mess and has gotten us to where we are today. But I think that's just a wee bit off topic for this thread, don'tcha think?

~Ramy

exhaustnoteV2

iTrader: (9)

LT1RX7

Come on now...docs may get shafted by insurance companies but I have yet to see a Dr in the welfare line so it aint so bad.....AND those Dr. agree to work with the insurance companies. It is NOT required. Just dont accept insurance.....your number of patients per day will go down but your revenue will go up (More money, less work)

As far as the $8/patient......you know that 90% of statistics are made up right....I am sure that is after they pay their employee salary, their own salary, their kids who dont even step foot in the office salary, their wives salary, their "bonuses" etc. My brother and brother in law are dentist (one general and one endo) and I can tell you there is no welfare cheese near their plates........

oh and lastly that family practice DR doesnt have 40k worth of equipment in his whole office

Neo

iTrader: (4)

LOL!

Now now, we all know being a Dr. is practically being a licensed thief. Only a thief that has to work harder than some of the other thieves...

FDNewbie,

Our mutual friend is Gotbanned. He probably assumed you were on vacation since he was on vacation at the same time. Give him a call and tell him your trying to become a licenced thei....ummm, a Dr.! lol

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

exhaustnoteV2, Sicko was actually an EXCELLENT movie, regardless of whether or not you like Michael Moore. I wish everyone would go see it and realize what's going on...

Seems so simple, doesn't it? lol. You don't really choose to work with insurance companies; the vast majority of your clientelle NEED insurance companies b/c they can't afford the cost of healthcare (b/c we won't nationalize healthcare in this country). Indeed, more and more places nowadays are refusing to take certain types of insurance or HMOs in general etc b/c they simply do NOT reimburse in any significant amount. But you know what that leaves you with? An under or uninsured population with little to no docs willing to see them because the docs gotta eat, and the patients can't pay. Sounds like a great plan, huh?

I personally believe in giving more to those who have less. Your idea is more of a "survival of the fittest" mindset, where you're simply out to get yours, regardless if you're helping the masses or not. Not very pretty...and damn scary if found in the mind of a doc...

I'm not quoting a statistic. I'm telling you the ACTUAL #s. Ig you get your hands dirty and go behind the scenes and actually SEE the reimbursement rate, you'll know what I'm talking about. No statistics. This IS the STANDARD reimbursement rate *after negotiations mind you* for local Family Practice centers here in DC.

You're grossly misinformed. Reimbursement means you have provided the service for FREE, or for a very minor co-pay at the door ($15 - $35), and are literally living off of the promised reimbursement from the insurance company. And to add insult to injury, there are a HOST of tests & conditions that you deem very necessary to perform and treat which the insurance company will NOT reimburse for. So either you do your duty for free, knowing the patient can't afford to cover those costs, or you simply don't do your duty - which is how existing conditions are often overlooked - because insurance is forcing you NOT to check for 'em unless you're gonna do it on your own tab. Grand, eh?

Whatcha smokin man? Apples and oranges. My local traffic lawyer charges $500 PER HOUR. If you can't afford it, he tells you to take out a cash advance on your credit card, sell a car, do SOMETHING, or go take a hike. It's that cut and dry.

Dentistry is one of the best jobs out there. In fact, Orthodontics made the CNN Financial and Forbes list as the #1 most OVERPAID job in the nation. So lets not compare the two. Both of them have MUCH less years invested, MUCH less debt on them, and get paid MUCH MORE for services rendered.

It's easy to talk about something generally when you're not involved in it. But I'm on the inside, and I work with a variety of healthcare professionals, so our *perspectives* are quite different my friend. In fact, the Urologist I'm working with is now getting paid 1/3 of what he used to get paid for the EXACT SAME PROCEDURE, coupled with the fact that insurance is pressuring Family Practice docs NOT to refer patients out to specialists (like Urologists) to keep costs down (which doesn't work mind you), so not only is he getting paid less PER procedure, but he ends up performing less and less of them altogether. So as a result, you end up working longer hours, coming in on weekends, performing surgeries overseas, anything to get creative and make some $$. And this is a Urologist - historically one of the most "kush" lifestyles in medicine.

Wanna bet? It adds up VERY quickly if you do the math. Blood pressure, temp, examining tools, meds, EKG machine, computer system, chart filing machines, microscopes, drapes, gowns, lights, charts & pamphlets, etc. Again, easier to talk from the outside, but when you sit in on the administration meetings and really see WHAT the actual costs are, WHAT they get reimbursed for, and how LARGE a deficit most places are running (my current hospital is up to the million dollar deficit right now), THEN lets talk

~Ramy

LOL you're on crack man. The VAST majority of my patient population that I interact w/ on a day to day basis is considerably underinsured or uninsured completely. So we don't really get reimbursed at ALL for our services. Not the most profitable theft

He in medicine as well? Oh and I don't have his # btw Last I spoke to him was a few weeks ago...

~Ramy

Herblenny

iTrader: (13)

This thread is hilarious how those complain would never get into medical school..

Do any of you know how hard it is to get into med school? And how hard it is to do well and get so call, "easy money" job?? Seriously, its one of the most difficult professional school out there.. Not only you have to put serious hours interning, you have to do well in basic sciences. If I had to pay someone without feeling bad about paying would be MDs. Unlike lawyers who might charge you $300-400 an hour for everything little things they would do. MD's don't charge people that way and they spend more time being trained. Before some of you think its an easy profession, try to do it yourself.. There is about 5000 spots per year in the country and when you really think about it, thats a very small percentage of population. Respect your MDs instead of thinking they are living the easy life!

LT1RX7

And you know about those that ASSUME that they know the intelligence of the people on the other side of the keyboard right?

Who said med school was easy to get into or easy to get through?

And you know this because you have gone through med school, law school, etc right......

Have you ever seen a hospital bill? My wife had heart complications after having my daughter (mytrol valve prolapse) and was at Johns Hopkins for 3 days. Do you know how ridiculous the charges were? I will tell you it was well over $50k in just HOSPITAL charges not counting the fees charged by the doctors.

Bottomline is Ramy and all other hopefully Drs chose that profession to persue. They were not forced to do it. No different than a construction worker that works 14 hour days hualing bricks....No different than a cop risking getting shot at....etc etc. They made that choice and while it is a mentally challenging job in the short term, in the long term it aint such a hard life.

Neo

iTrader: (4)

LOL!!

FDNewbie,
I was just pulling your chain. I know it's a tough profession to get into and maintain. But I also know the benefits that come with that type of job.
I could never do what you do because I hate the sight of blood. Let alone a needle!! I practically black out whenever I see a needle.
I couldn't deal with it. I don't know how MD's are able to treat a person who's practically dieing and then go have lunch! I wouldn't be able to hold anything down.

Gotbanned is not in Medicine. I though you had his number... No matter, he'll probably be calling you soon enough... Then you can tell him you weren't slacking. lol

LT1RX7

Can anyone say this may be the ultimate threadjacking? LOL

Hope that I hear back from you Ramy in reference to the email for the parts......

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Well I'll be the first to tell ya that intelligence is NOT a pre-requisite to getting into medical school. We have our fair share of idiot doctors who simply worked like a dog (cuz that's pretty much what it takes) to make it through. If you couple that w/ some intelligence, then you have a GREAT doctor. So lets not make this about intelligence, b/c it isn't. 90% of it is stamina IMO - stamina that takes YEARS to develop.

Routinely. My own, my family members', and patients' bills.

I bet ya the doctors' charges were the cheapest part of it You're mixing apples w/ oranges again, and making conclusions based on an apparent bias you have secondary to (what you see as) a negative experience. Doctors for the most part (who work in the hospital in such circumstances) are salaried. So their fees are minimal. The $50K you're complaining about are HOSPITAL fees, NOT A DIME of which go into the physician's pocket. A REGULAR bed on a regular hospital floor runs $1,000 - $1,500 a night when you factor in all of the staff and expenses necessary to keep an eye on that patient.

Being that your wife had mitral valve prolapse, she was probably placed in the CCU (Cardiac Critical Care Unit), which requires around the clock monitoring, a highly specialized and trained nursing staff, physicians on-call 24/7, routine tests (blood work, physical exams, continuous cardiac monitoring), and she undoubtedly had a caridac echo performed as well. All these things are VERY VERY expensive, performed multiple times, all using very expensive equipment, and often rapid analysis labs (because life is on the line). Again, the cost goes up even further. I mean I'm sorry to break it to ya, but saving and maintaining life is an EXTREMELY exhaustive situation... It's no surprise then that most hospitals are in debt primarily due to the ER department because of the enormous expenditure in such a small period of time - saving and maintaining lives.

And again, while it may not exactly cost the full $50K for your wife's care, because of the wonderful world of managed care, when underinsured or uninsured patients leave the hospital w/ a bill they can't pay, that bill is essentially distributed amongst the other patients who can pay...so you end up picking up their tab. Fun eh? And this STILL has NOTHING to do w/ docs, cuz that's HOSPITAL fees, NOT doctor salaries.

Yes you're right, I chose to pursue medicine. But not because of the money - heck there are MUCH better ways to make money - and a lot more of it at that - with a FRACTION of the effort and sacrifice required of a doctor. I DID choose this field b/c I felt it to be one of - if not the most - honorable professions, because it gives me the opportunity to be entrusted with the most sacred possession we have - our lives...while I do the best I can to save and maintain it.

I beg to differ. Indeed, each profession has it's ups and downs, but to play like they're equal in sacrifice and effort would be simply ridiculous. I have a friend who works in IT at one of the large IT firms. He simply has to finish the project assigned to him in the given time span. If that means he comes in early mornings, or only in the evenings, or all day for a few days and take the rest of the days off, so be it. He has that flexibility. And while I respect (and heck I ENVY) his job, if you told me what we both face is even in the same *vicinity* as being similar, I'd say you're smoking crack. And a LOT of it.

As for your construction worker, we have something in common. Long hours and manual labor (try standing on your feet for 18 hours non-stop, without breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and come back and tell me if that isn't hard labor). But the construction worker doesn't need any extensive training, nor does he dedicate the first 8 years of his life TRYING to get a construction job, while PAYING for those 8 years, only to start construction work being $200K in the hole Ditto w/ the cop. And BOTH get to go home at night (or during the day if they're on night shift). I ROUTINELY pull 30 hr shifts, only to be back in at 5 or 6 AM the next morning to repeat it all over. And don't forget working 6 days a week for the rest of your life...even on holidays. Oh yea that's def a level playing field...

Again, this isn't to say I don't respect other professions; its only when ppl try and take a cheap shot at the DECADES of stress and struggle we go through like it ain't jack that I get really agitated. Most of you have time... a luxury I'd KILL for. But alas, it's much easier to point the finger at that which we don't know much about but simply don't like b/c of a negative personal experience...

I suggest you get to know a bit more about the medical field before you joan on it like you did...

Mentally is only half the game; the other half is physically keeping up w/ a 6-day work week including night and weekend calls when you're in your 50s and 60s, because unlike business professions, most doctors die on their feet, trying to maintain what they have, while most business professionals die relaxing in some resort, trying to spend what they made...

(Much like cops) it's funny how ppl are quick to voice their discontent w/ docs...until it's a matter of life and death and you REALLY need one...at which point you're willing to give every penny you ever had to have him help save your loved one's life...

~Ramy

PS: Neo, this is ALL your fault

Neo

iTrader: (4)

That's right, blame the guy in the peanut gallery! LOL

Ok, do me a favor and shoot me a PM with your Paypal account name. I know you sent it to me the last time but with all the deleting they made us do recently with our PM's, I might have erased it.
This way if you see more money than you though you had, you know it was me filling in an order!

Herblenny

iTrader: (13)

LOL! I was pre-med in college, did research for years, and I could of gone to med school and I've decided not to. (of course you might think why didn't you.LOL!) And since, 50% of my friends are MDs, family members are MDs (including my wife)... And I have law school friends and families.... So, yes, I don't have first hand experience but know enough to know the difference.. And, Ive worked at two different Medical school/research centers and currently I have MD/PhD student in my lab.


First of all, I'm sorry to hear about your wife.
Regarding if I have seen a hospital bill, yes. I uncle in NY went to one of few living donor liver transplant... Talk about hospital bill!

But I think Ramy had clearified why its so high for 3 day stay..

Davin

iTrader: (14)

all i have to say is, Ramy is Davin-Approved!!!

FD3S-K

iTrader: (6)

My hood?