SMYLS Health

Paperwork? Really? You think paperwork is the issue? You think the shortage of Family Drs is paperwork? Every med student knows FM is the least desirable specialty because it is financially unviable and unattractive. Let’s advocate for 2x fees + retroactive pay.

How is family doctor renumeration not the issue that you are shouting out? The shortage of family doctors and lack of access was caused by a failure of negotiations to achieve increases that kept ahead of inflation (LFP included)

I completely disagree. After 20 years of Family Doctors being forced to take pay cuts due to sub-inflationary increases, Family Doctors have a right to make their profession financially viable. In addition a hybrid model has been successful in most there countries.

The admin burden is only an issue because Family Practices can't afford to hire the quality or quality of staff required. Increased renumeration would allow FDs properly staff their clinics. The Admin burden is just a symptom, poor renumeration is the disease.

I think you have this all wrong. The admin burden is just a symptom of terrible pay If a full-time FD was making $750-900K you would have plenty, and could spread the patient load. Allowing Drs to see less patients, spending more time with each. FM should not be a volume game

This is a powerhouse post! It points out that: 1. FD’s are required to provide much work for free 2. Do more with less 3. FM is financially unviable 4. 1, 2 & 3 contribute to FM being unattractive 5. 20 yrs of sub-inflationary increases is a slap in the face to gender pay equity.

You need to be more transparent and say that Internists don’t need more funding. Optically it seems that you are talking about primary care, ie the domain of Family Drs. Who are grossly underpaid, and are struggling to keep practices open. Who have had taken pay cuts for 20+ yrs

When AI generates notes from a recorded visit, nuance, context & clinical judgment often get lost. Non-verbal cues & subtle insights can also be missed, while errors in interpretation may occur. Efficiency gains are often lost because review is required to maintain quality.

I think we have a shortage of family doctors because a general office visit went from $29.10 in 2002 to $31.63 by end of 2023,.. while inflation was 43% during that same time period. Forcing FD’s to take a pay cut every year for 20 years is disgraceful and disrespectful

That you remotely think those examples are analogous illustrates the problem. Pharmacists ≠ Physicians Just like Physicians ≠ Pilots Ps. There is a good reason Drs can’t sell prescription medication, it’s a conflict of interest. Are you suggesting we should drop that rule?

Settling for fee increases below inflation for over 20yrs, forcing Family Drs to take a pay cut every year is what does not allow them to take care of their family. Let’s get our priorities right. benefits are negligible when compared to fee increases that align with inflation

True advocacy for Family Drs starts by shouting & fighting for equitable renumeration. 20 yrs of fee increases below inflation is the primary reason there is a shortage. If you want to prioritize patient care then let’s get Family Drs caught up to inflation & keep them there.

Teams is meanless if FM is financially unviable. Let’s first address the need to get Family Drs caught up from 20 yrs of sub-inflationary increases, and keep them above inflation. Then, we can talk about nice-to-have “teams”.

Great first small step! FYI : inflation from 2021 -24 (prj) will exceed 12% .. so 9.95% does not even catch up. Not to mention how many years over the past 2 decades Drs have taken forced pay cuts due to sub-inflationary increases (hint: all of them)