The best doctors in the US are more often than not also the best in the world. The US disproportionately attracts from abroad and produces domestically the MDs that are at the forefront of medicine.
The good and the okay doctors, i.e. the vast majority, are also very good. Probably a wash with most large Western nations.
America's actual problem, and failure, is prevention and uniform access to primary care. No surprises here.
Some US doctors are rich. With a strong bias toward certain medical specialties, where you can bill X thousand dollars for a "procedure". And do a lot of those procedures every week.
Vs. merely billing by the hour - then having to pay your office rent, utilities, medical school loans, nurse's salary, receptionist's wages, etc. etc. out of that. I've read quite a few accounts of that sort of doctor going bankrupt...unless they were being supported by the specialists, to whom they were referring patients who needed procedures or other expensive care.
Just anecdotal, but I visited Shanghai this summer and toured a top clinic - from my perspective, their standard of care is on par with, if not better, than many large (and quite good) groups like Sutter Health or Straub. The doctors there were educated in the U.S. and Germany (Massachusetts and Munich if memory serves).
Plus, if you can wait, treatment is nearly free, but you can get same day service for many procedures, like overnight ecg, for say $100 -$200.
kspacewalk2|4 months ago
The good and the okay doctors, i.e. the vast majority, are also very good. Probably a wash with most large Western nations.
America's actual problem, and failure, is prevention and uniform access to primary care. No surprises here.
bell-cot|4 months ago
Vs. merely billing by the hour - then having to pay your office rent, utilities, medical school loans, nurse's salary, receptionist's wages, etc. etc. out of that. I've read quite a few accounts of that sort of doctor going bankrupt...unless they were being supported by the specialists, to whom they were referring patients who needed procedures or other expensive care.
framerjohn|4 months ago
Any evidence to back this up?
Granted, I’ve had some bad docs in the U.S., but the trick is to get good recommendations from people that work with the better doctors.
golem14|4 months ago
Plus, if you can wait, treatment is nearly free, but you can get same day service for many procedures, like overnight ecg, for say $100 -$200.
bix6|4 months ago
Fomite|4 months ago
unknown|4 months ago
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