>>>I worry about how and whether they earn it, especially when I have comparatively nothing to say about it. I can negotiate a fee with an attorney. When I'm in the ER with a heart attack, I can't talk about fees so I'm at the mercy of the MD's integrity or lack of it.
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>Dude, this is all very loaded. I keep telling you that the physician bill is not the totality of the bill or even the largest part of it- and the physician you meet in the ER may well be on a salary these days. The idea that it's appropriate to just keep slapping away at the physicians, is not sustainable if you want to fix the problem rather than the blame.
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Yes, the MD's charges are a small part of the E/R Bill.
Here, the E/R MD's are independent contractors and we get a separate bill from them.
I can't say that I've ever seen a bill from one of them that was outrageous, but I still had nothing to say about it.
The cardiologist.. well you heard that story.