Quote Originally Posted by Liz View Post
Originally Posted by MaryMary
So all residents work for free? The hospital pay their salary just because?
Resident does not bill for services as a visiting doctor, but the hospital bills for an attending physician.

anyway, my point is:
residents are there to acquire experience and skills, apply knowledge received in medical school. That's include bedside manners. The only skill can be gained from my example above is how to cut corners. Yes, very suitable for new health care legislation because doctors will not have time for anything else.
Residents are in training. They do not have full licsenses and are only allowed to practice under the supervision of a fully licensed M.D. or D.O. They are paid, crappy wages, but they are paid, and part of the whole medical training is subsidized by tax dollars.

Again, residents cannot bill for services. From that visit, no bill was generated--not from the resident, and not from his attending.
I cannot tell you whether my dad was billed for this visit or not, it took place over 4 years ago. But if while on training residents practice this type of patients visits, how they'll learn what it takes to have real rounds: come and say hi to each patient, ask how they feel and answer their concerns, assess their affected body area, etc. AND keep up with paperwork? Do you think residents wages are the reason: real doctors do it because they have full salaries/licenses and residents do not have to because they do not receive adequate compensation? IMO, that's a lame excuse, what they are in training for?
I brought up this example as a response to Mrs_Lexx post about her experience, including being billed for services never received. I will not be surprised much if the hospital would bill for that visits, but signed by the supervising doctor. We were billed for doctors visit in ER when we went with my DD: the supervisor reviewed resident's actions but didn't communicate with me, the patients mom, told him what to say to me.