Clearly I don't tell my patients I can't wait to retire because of their messages. I think it all the time, however. You're not my patient though, so I don't have to have this restraint.
Yes, I understand that you charge - no need for the snark. But my opinion remains the same. If you charge for something like messaging, it’s the same thing as the bank charging a fee to speak with a representative, IMO.
Yes, I made a suggestion several comments ago: have some kind of message pop up that outlines what is appropriate and what is not when using messaging. It’s a communication issue, or at least communication might help.
Out of curiosity, can you share how many hours per week are patient care and how many are administrative?
As a relatively recently retired PCP, I can confirm this. And again, all of that administrative work is unpaid time. Responding to emails or portal messages or phone calls, filling out forms, getting prior authorizations, refilling prescriptions, etc. We don't earn a penny for any of that time.
If it’s in MyChart, I could be buried in a number of places. That app is terrible. I’ve had the red circled “1” notification and even in the app the notice shows up, but it’s often difficult to find the message. It depends on what kind of message it is and you have to check multiple places.
I have tremendous respect for healthcare providers, but I also think there’s a disconnect if the general consensus among that group if there’s a wide belief that every minute should be paid time. For example, most of the professionals I worked with traveled extensively, and much of that travel was not during business hours, but rather after or before a full day. And I usually worked while flying, often doing the administrative work that you’re speaking of: catching up on email, filing expenses, preparing for meetings, etc. I never once considered that unpaid time. Maybe I’m in the minority, though.
Thought about that. Not the cohort I’d want to associate with, so I refrained. It felt worse than the bank comparison.
I’m not discounting anything you state, other than maybe the low base salary, which is relative. I just believe that the expectation to be paid for every minute is unreasonable and that expectation explains the position taken by the physicians who have weighed in. In that light, yes I can understand that there is resentment towards patient messaging.
I’m not going to defend lawyers but if you don’t think they eat a lot of time, you’re very mistaken. Sure, they bill for messages and phone calls but that’s because that’s an area where they can easily identify their time directly to a client. My experience is in a CPA firm. I got paid a salary had to bill 90% of my time, so 36 hours during a normal week. In order to produce 36 billable hours, it took about a 50 hour week. You can’t bill for many things in the day (administrative, research, meetings, getting new clients, etc). I expect law firms are the same.
You need to follow the progression that has occurred over time to get a real feel for the issue. When I went into practice in 1993, there was no email. There were no electronic medical records. There was no online messaging. And we didn't have insurance companies and corporate overlords watching our every move and number-crunching and penny-pinching every decision. Sure we had unpaid work back then if we took a phone call to answer a question, for example. But it was a minimal part of our day and we were reasonably well compensated for the actual patient care work we did.Thought about that. Not the cohort I’d want to associate with, so I refrained. It felt worse than the bank comparison.
I’m not discounting anything you state, other than maybe the low base salary, which is relative. I just believe that the expectation to be paid for every minute is unreasonable and that expectation explains the position taken by the physicians who have weighed in. In that light, yes I can understand that there is resentment towards patient messaging.
Yep - completely understand. You may also want to consider the perspective of the customer, in this case the patient. While improper online requests need to be addressed, the ability to communicate with my doctor has exponentially improved my healthcare experience. Prior to online messaging, there really wasn’t a way to communicate. As mentioned before, the only thing I’ve used messaging for has been to ask if a referral can be issued or do I need to come in first. More often than not, the referral is issued without a visit. That’s a huge benefit for me.
You had a telephone. And odds are that it got answered by a human in the office who you actually knew.
Nobody here, except for you, has said that physicians expect to be paid for every minute.Thought about that. Not the cohort I’d want to associate with, so I refrained. It felt worse than the bank comparison.
I’m not discounting anything you state, other than maybe the low base salary, which is relative. I just believe that the expectation to be paid for every minute is unreasonable and that expectation explains the position taken by the physicians who have weighed in. In that light, yes I can understand that there is resentment towards patient messaging.
Lawyers definitely bill for research. Furthermore, I suspect $450-600 an hour covers quite a bit of overhead and slop.
Ridiculous thing to say. Equating an MD with a bank representative is way off base.
This I agree with.
I LOVED my w*rk. I stayed 7 years beyond my Financial Independence because I loved my w*rk! I hated the Corp. BS and micromanagement and the attitude that empl*yees should hate their w*rk or else management isn't doing its j*b! It sounds like you hate your w*rk. I would encourage you to get out ASAP.
If I have a question for my accountant or attorney, two other highly educated busy professionals, I don't expect to have a direct messaging service that I can pick their brain for free. Nor do most people. I don't understand why my profession is any different.
Actually, they both do have direct messaging, it’s called email and texts. The difference is the payment mechanism. Doctors get paid by a third party that controls the rate and conditions for billing. Accountants and lawyers actually sell time and have a mechanism to get paid for communication even if it’s just by charging a boat load for the hours that they do bill and calling the rest admin or overhead. Doctors typically don’t do that. That’s part of why the concierge model started showing up.
