Medical Care

I have friends who really like their NPs and PAs. However, when one compares the full training, apples to apples, they do not have the same training and clinical hours requirements as an MD. I and others I know have been misdiagnosed by them or given incorrect information (even at Mayo). If one wants to practice like a doctor, one needs to acquire the credentials.
Of course, I have known doctors who were not up to par ...much depends on the passion one has for one's work.

I fully agree that one should not take advantage of residents and they should be paid. And doctors should be paid a salary (like Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic do) and not this fee for service system that only promotes quick moving assembly line of patient visits.

Salaries are based on what the market allows, and by who controls the purse strings. CEO pay in the US is outrageous. Medicare could reimburse at a higher rate if one took the insurance company out of the loop and we had a single payer system. Just look at the financial documents of these insurance companies, the sales and marketing costs, administrative costs and CEO pay. And the provider has extra costs to process different insurance company policy rules. That is money that could go to increasing pay of doctors or giving us more benefits. That money does not go for healthcare!

And have you noticed how many Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners there are who are stepping in to treat you??? I see this at Mayo even though I have always had the doctor come in afterward.
PAs and NPs have no where the amount of training of a medical doctor. Nor can they do specializations like doctors but only get experience by working in a certain department. Yet they are being used more and more in medical practices and I have seen them assume responsibilities where they definitely should not because they totally lack the depth of knowledge. They are paid less than a doctor, but the institution can charge insurance the same amount (code the same) if they are "supervised" by a MD. My friend's daughter is a doctor and was very unhappy when they hired some PAs and said it was not realistic to expect she had the time to supervise them but was expected to sign off on what they did. The clinic finally decided to code visits at a lower amount and not require MDs to sign off on what the visit.
SO... PAs and NPs want more responsibility...so why not encourage them to complete MD training???? Why "dumb down" our medical system???? Time to give scholarships for medical training! They give tax breaks to companies to increase development in certain areas, and the shareholders end up very rich. How about making medical education very affordable and available to help everybody!

Yes, heisenberg, trying to get a doctor appointment is dreadful. I tried to schedule a new local neurologist and was told next March is the earliest appointment. My current neurologist quit and the replacement cannot schedule me until October. Anyone who has children trying to decide on a career, a doctor in any field would benefit us all.

Hi there @heisenberg34 - Sorry to hear you're struggling so with flares of symptoms again. Is this the same pain you had prior to 2021 that you say was under decent control, or is it different? Have you had MRI's before for this area? If so, what were the findings?

Hmm...pain pump...some people swear by them and others say they are a waste. Bummer that its in the way and side tracking your test. Regarding pain, yes, you can always go to the ER if the pain is that severe. They may do an MRI. What do you think may be wrong or causing the severity of your flares?

Thanks for responding. I have considered going to the local ER. Unfortunately, I had one of the worst ER visits ever in my life. Reluctant to go back, but they are the only game in town. Yes, I had the pain pump implanted last April. It was supposed to have this amazing success rate. Ha! Not for me. Has never given me any pain relief. The pump just sits there in the front of my abdomen like a dried out bagel, mocking me. Might as well get it taken out.
Had an MRI on Wednesday. Waiting for the interpretation. Maybe Monday. I am surely hoping that it reveals something...anything. please!

Well good news then you had your MRI! I would definitely consider having the pump removed. Our bodies don't necessarily need or want foreign objects in them if it can be avoided, especially if the pump brings you no value. And let's face it nobody wants to feel like they have a dried out bagel in their gut . You gave me a chuckle with that.

Good luck on the MRI results. I will be curious what it shows. Do you mind getting back to me with the findings?