We have spent more than 8 years now working on the problem of how we health care services consumers try and ensure that, when we have a health care problem for which we need help, we consult and use only the very best doctors and avoid those who just waste our time and waste our money, and we have come to three conclusions.
Firstly, that probably at least 50% of doctors are “waste of time, waste of money” doctors.
Secondly, that the Federal Government in Australia, (and we suspect it’s the same with governments all round the world,) is wasting billions of dollars in subsidising the activities of these “waste of time, waste of money” doctors.
Thirdly, that this wastage could largely be cut back very easily by this simple method – by setting up a means whereby instances where a doctor has possibly wasted a patient’s time and money could be properly investigated, and where waste of time and waste of money was found, ruling that Medicare wouldn’t subsidise this doctor’s activities for a month i.e. patients who consulted and/or used this doctor during that month wouldn’t be able to claim anything back from Medicare. If this was done we believe that lots’ of doctors would have to “pull up their socks,) – that’s if they were capable of doing it.
And, if this was done, there are probably 20 cases we could submit for investigation from our experiences and those of our readers without even thinking – particularly one in which one of our readers has consulted 5 Cardiologist about problems with his heart, and 3 of them have completely wasted his time and money.
Of course, this is not the sort of thing governments do – it’s far too sensible.
In the meantime, it’s left to us health care services consumers to try and avoid waste of time waste doctors, with very little help from governments and none from doctors.