tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494384.post8066576303135962917..comments2024-03-04T04:09:01.839-06:00Comments on And Doctor Biobrain's Response Is...: Obama Hates Greedy SurgeonsDoctor Biobrainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641661532899934766noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494384.post-14100857250650470092009-09-28T23:19:49.562-05:002009-09-28T23:19:49.562-05:00Yes, ER Tech, he made a parallel between the surge...Yes, ER Tech, he made a parallel between the surgeon and the primary care physician. But how does that mean that he's saying the surgeon receives all that money? His point was how expensive the surgery was, and the amount he gave is right for that surgery. <br /><br />And why exactly do you imagine he'd be purposefully demonizing surgeons? How would that help him?Doctor Biobrainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01641661532899934766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494384.post-91387951655066227072009-09-26T16:40:26.920-05:002009-09-26T16:40:26.920-05:00The problem is "the surgeon is reimbursed&quo...The problem is "the surgeon is reimbursed". Not "the hospital is reimbursed". He created a parallel between the primary care physician getting reimbursed a "pittance". I know he knows that is not true, but I'm not believing that he misspoke that parallel on accident.ER Technoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494384.post-29433950727667192632009-08-28T01:53:05.088-05:002009-08-28T01:53:05.088-05:00To demonize surgeons as greedy and as one cause of...<i>To demonize surgeons as greedy and as one cause of elevated health care costs totally misses the boat and exposes his lack of understanding of the complicated issues inherent to the health care reform debate.</i><br /><br />Wes - While much of what you wrote is debatable, there is absolutely NOTHING in what he said that demonized surgeons as greedy. Where are the data, indeed? <br /><br />I mean, your argument would only make sense if the surgeons were also the primary care physicians, and he was claiming that they preferred to wait until amputation was the only option. And that's obviously not the case. He wasn't accusing surgeons of preferring amputation. He was merely explaining that we'd save money if we treated diabetes before it got to that point, by having primary care physicians educate their patients on how to control their diabetes. And that's a common sense thing I've heard from doctors for years.<br /><br />And are you seriously suggesting that it might be cheaper to amputate a diabetic patient's foot than to tell patients how to control their diabetes? Really?? If that's the case, perhaps we should amputate ALL of their feet and be done with it. Why bother with insulin when we can just cripple them? I'm sure that's not what you're saying, but if not, I fail to see where you're going with this. Obama was absolutely right and it is better for us to get people proper treatment before it gets to the point of more drastic measures.<br /><br />And I'll admit that I'm no doctor when it comes to this stuff, so I'll ask: Is diabetic vascular disease not preventable? I did a quickie search and read that it WAS preventable, yet you seem to be suggesting it's not. But I suspect you're only referring to patients who already HAVE these more serious vascular problems, while Obama was referring to having doctors help patients avoid them. <br /><br />So is there something these websites are lying to me about, or are you perhaps misunderstanding what Obama was talking about? I've known many people with diabetes, yet I've never known one who lost a foot.Doctor Biobrainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01641661532899934766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494384.post-17394972874065384952009-08-23T10:57:00.362-05:002009-08-23T10:57:00.362-05:00Regardless of his intent, or his initial disclaime...Regardless of his intent, or his initial disclaimer, he was careless with his rhetoric. He specifically stated that the 'surgeon is reimbursed...' . He was wrong. At times of such a high intensity debate, I think he should be more cautious of perpetuating misperceptions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494384.post-61048368297696540132009-08-22T22:02:40.973-05:002009-08-22T22:02:40.973-05:00Dr. B-
While I appreciate your comments and attem...Dr. B-<br /><br />While I appreciate your comments and attempts to state what Mr. Obama actally said, let's be clear about some of his other statements, shall we?<br /><br />Like the <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/07/22/transcript_of_obama_prime-time.html?wprss=44" rel="nofollow">statements</a> he made claiming that "two-thirds of the cost of reform can be paid for by reallocating money that is simply being wasted in federal health care programs" - two thirds of a trillion dollars. Do we honestly believe the governent will find this much waste fraud and abuse to fund their monumentally-expensive proposed new entitlement? Who is he kidding? Further, the suggestion that "prevention" will obviate the need for surgical skills to debride or amputate an extremity ignores the basic pathophysiology of diabetic vascular disease. Certainly, careful diabetic control can delay the onset of vasculopathy, but stop it entirely and save money? Where are the data? Surgeons performing amputations that are clinically indicated might even save health care dollars by avoiding recurrent hospitalizations and prolonged courses of antibiotics in some cases. To demonize surgeons as greedy and as one cause of elevated health care costs totally misses the boat and exposes his lack of understanding of the complicated issues inherent to the health care reform debate.DrWeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17438019699222125477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494384.post-51489291061587775872009-08-20T01:24:55.708-05:002009-08-20T01:24:55.708-05:00Yes, anonymous, he said that. And he was referrin...Yes, anonymous, he said that. And he was referring to the cost of the amputation, not the surgeon's fee. As I pointed out, the amount he gave IS how much an amputation costs.Doctor Biobrainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01641661532899934766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494384.post-15097334792542763612009-08-19T10:09:25.860-05:002009-08-19T10:09:25.860-05:00regardless of his intent, he did say that "if...regardless of his intent, he did say that "if that same diabetic ends up getting their foot amputated, that's $30,000, $40,000, $50,000, immediately, the surgeon is reimbursed." Either he is a sloppy speaker who doesn't choose his words carefully or he's a liar who intentionally misstated the truth.<br />a surgeonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com