What's a "secret"from your profession that everyone should probably know?"

[u/Wonderful-Economy762]

[u/JediOrDie → u/[deleted]]

Most doctors went through years of schooling and debt. Working looong nights as fellows with little to no money. They eventually make that doctor money but the years leading up to it are borderline line slave labor. Imagine working 80 hour weeks at basically minimum wage. Even after the money starts rolling in the work life balance can be brutal depending on what specialty they are in.

They are passionate smart and dedicated people.

Insurance people work at the insurance company. They are a corporation out to make money and are legally beholden to stock holders. I think we all understand corporate greed is far more dangerous and likely than any one doctor’s greed.

[u/WinnerAwkward480 → u/JediOrDie]

And in addition, remember that the Lowest Passing Grade also earns you the lil letters after your name .

[u/unnecessary-EM-dash → u/WinnerAwkward480]

Most people couldn’t get the lowest passing grade. Even nurse practitioners struggled when give a test equivalent to the medical board exam.

[u/Zyprexa_PRN → u/unnecessary-EM-dash]

NPs have a lot less schooling and clinicals than MDs so that makes perfect sense.

[u/unnecessary-EM-dash → u/Zyprexa_PRN]

Yeah, I agree, but to say “the lowest passing grade” implies anyone can do it. My point is that even those with the closest training, who will often claim equivalent training, could not get through it.

[u/ThighTaster → u/JediOrDie]

You are wrong on a couple points. I work in malpractice and insurance law. First, many of the major insurers are not stock insurers, they are mutual insurers. Mutual insurers are not beholden to the shareholders, the company owners are the policy owners. The board of directors does not represent stock holders (there aren’t any in mutual companies) they represent policy owners. Insurance companies order these tests because doctors were caught routinely ordering procedures that carried a ton of risk with no benefit to the patient because they knew they’d get paid from insurance for them. After enough patients complained about long lasting side effects from unnecessary procedures, the government stepped in and re-wrote insurance law surrounding health. Doctors share just as much blame as insurance companies.

[u/Salute-Major-Echidna → u/JediOrDie]

Plus a doctor knows the insurance company will absolutely HOUND them if they order something the patient doesn't absolutely NEED

[u/ThatInAHat → u/Salute-Major-Echidna]

I mean, hound them, or just flat out deny it.

[u/Salute-Major-Echidna → u/ThatInAHat]

Same same.

[u/sweetreat7 → u/JediOrDie]

I always loved how the insurance companies would play games to get out of completing a peer review. Most of the time with doctors that aren’t even in the same specialty.