Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Karen
I am one of those Pricedoc doctors who offer discounts to the uninsured and those in need. I have done it throughout my career and now with Pricedoc we have a needed platform to put together the patients who have health needs, are short on resources or simply not covered. Your comments show a lack of understanding of what web enabled technology can bring in terms of affordable quality care.
First of all Pricedoc is not an auction but a site for acquisition of healthcare with pricing and qualification transparency and option for negotiation with your chosen provider. Quality and price in medicine are linked like the weather and Dow Jones Average. I am sure Michael Jackson did not seek a discount price on his rhinoplasty or his personal bedside physician. He was a beloved artist with access to the best medical care and we all know the outcomes from his medical care. Pricedoc offers qualification transparency like Board certification and state licensing which is imperfect but better than what we get from yellow pages. The health providers with marginal qualifications will not thrive in Pricedoc as well as they can in existing opaque system. Pricedoc attracts forward thinking providers who do not fear transparency of their qualification nor their pricing structure.
At Pricedoc the patient chooses their own provider and benefits from discounts that are offered to insurance companies. The providers benefit from decreased administrative burdens of billing and coding and those are passed directly to the patient. In current system you pay a substantial monthly HMO premium, you pay the deductible, you pay for the administrative army and computers at the HMO which than tries to find ways to deny coverage because they have to have enough cash to pay multimillion dollar bonuses to their management from your premiums. After all those payments your care is farmed out to their provider panel which is made out of group willing to accept their low ball discounted payments for health services provided.
If I accept Medicare elderly patients I am already offering my services at significant discounts because it is the right thing to do for my patients. Offering similar discounts to uninsured or underinsured patients in need of such care is likewise the right thing to do.
And for your information as to what kind of a doctor would join Pricedoc, it is doctors like myself. I am Harvard educated, board certified, on clinical teaching staff at Yale school of Medicine, developer of artificial organs, 30+ patents to my name in biotechnology, and a desire to make a change in healthcare that leads to affordable ,quality care with transparency of price and qualification. I am doing this because it is the right thing to do and there are many people in need of unique service Pricedoc is facilitating.

Hi, Julian2,

Thank you for a detailed explanation of Pricedoc. While I’m sure there are those doctors, including yourself, who are involved with it for the noblest of reasons, it still seems like an avenue for the unscrupulous to run wild.

I also thank you for making us aware that there are very qualified doctors involved so that those interested in this type of medical services know they can pick and choose and have safe options.

Please keep in mind, I am viewing issues from a patient’s point of view. And, at 57 and with a number of health issues, I’ve been around long enough to have seen the good, and the bad, and the dangerous, in regard to the medical field.

Hi Karen
I agree with you that current health care system is plagued by inequities, abuses and costly inefficiencies. I and others look forward with optimism to start-ups like Pricedoc that introduce transparency and fairness to health-care by combining web technologies with old fashion humanity.
Changes for the better are happening, we just have to see them when they are happening.

Julian2, once again, thank you for your input.

If there is a better and safer system in the horizon I look forward to it also. Please feel free to stop by any time – you’ll certainly keep me on my toes!

If you’d ever like to share health information as a guest, please, just let me know. I’m sure you’re much too busy, but as the site states: nothing ventured, nothing gained!

In order for you to scrutinize a company such as pircedoc you have to offer a better argument. Think about it: the insurance companies already dictate what medical providers can charge and bill for medical/dental procedures. In addition, insurance companies NEGOTIATE rates with medical providers/Hospitals when they forge relationships. As a patient I would like o have the same power/access.

When I see my primary care physician, I want to know what he is going to charge me for his time and lab tests. I want this kind of information and detailed explanation of what I am receiving for a set price.

I am self-employed and I will be using this website.

Hi there, Joe,

Please be aware this is not an argument, it’s just my opinion. I agree the medical system leaves much to be desired, but I’m still not sure structures such as PriceDoc is going to be the cure. I’m interested to see how it all plays out though.

I know we’re all at the mercy of the government and insurance companies and would love to see something that actually works and benefits the majority and especially those in need.

Thanks for you input!

I appreciate your presence in the cyberspace; however, even if you express an opinion, analogous to an op-ed piece in a newspaper, it has to be backed by some sort of evidence etc. The Internet is peppered with bloggers and website that provide meaningless advise and opinions on a slue of topics—I hope you are not and/or become one of them. By using your intellectual furniture, you can attract a much more educated audience and benefit from it.

Those in need have many choices in this country; Gov’t programs, local and county sliding scale clinics, non-profits that will pay your medical bills if you meet their requirements etc. There is more assistance for the indigent in this country than anywhere else on the planet. One has to seek it out, however.

Merry Christmas!