Unlike domestic hospitals, American hospitals and doctors usually have a collaborative relationship, and only a few hospitals employ doctors.
So, how is this relationship realized? Why do American families have family doctors? What kind of existence is a doctor's private clinic? This article will introduce you one by one in detail.
Private clinics play the role of outpatient clinics
Unlike the Chinese hospital system, American hospitals basically do not have outpatient clinics, only emergency rooms. Instead, private clinics with extremely fine division of labor play the role of hospital "outpatient clinics".
Except for emergencies that require hospital emergency care, you generally need to find a private doctor to see a doctor in the United States. Many private clinics can usually be found in various communities, and this medical system plays an important role in scientifically triaging patients.
Usually Americans have their own "family doctors". These doctors are basically "general practitioners" but cannot treat specialist diseases. For example, if a patient has a stomachache, the "family doctor" will make a preliminary diagnosis and then order the patient to go to the hospital for examination. The family doctor will determine what the problem is based on the examination results. If he thinks it is a stomach disease, the family doctor will recommend a gastroenterologist to the patient.
The division of labor among specialist private doctors in the United States is extremely fine. For example, orthopedics is divided into hand orthopedics experts, arm orthopedics experts, leg orthopedics experts, etc. Such a detailed division of labor provides patients with the most professional medical services.
Doctors and hospitals have a collaborative relationship
Most doctors in the United States have their own private clinics, and their relationship with hospitals is not an employment relationship, but a collaborative relationship.
The business cards of private doctors in the United States often have the names of one or several hospitals. This does not mean that doctors are employed by a certain hospital or multiple hospitals. Doctors and hospitals have a mutually beneficial collaborative relationship, which is mainly reflected in two aspects.
First of all, private clinics usually do not have complex examination instruments and surgical equipment, while large hospitals have good hardware conditions. Therefore, when a patient needs examination or surgery, the doctor will recommend him to a collaborating hospital for examination or surgery. Of course, patients can also choose their own hospital.
Secondly, after being recommended by a private doctor, the hospital can charge fees by providing instruments and result analysis services to patients, or charge fees for the use of surgical venues and equipment.
There is no fee issue between doctors and hospitals. Most doctors and hospitals charge fees to the patient's insurance company. Except for difficult and complicated diseases that require special equipment from special hospitals, doctors usually recommend hospitals based on the principle of proximity, so there are few so-called "shady stories" between doctors and hospitals.
Looking for medical malpractice insurance
How does the United States handle medical malpractice? If a private doctor causes a medical malpractice while performing an operation on a patient in the hospital, all responsibilities will be borne by the surgeon, and shirking of responsibility and mutual disputes rarely occur.
When a patient sues a doctor, he or she will not deal directly with the doctor. Whether responding to a lawsuit or settling a claim, the medical malpractice insurance company insured by the doctor will handle it fully, which saves the doctor a lot of time and energy.
However, the cost of medical malpractice insurance for American doctors is very high, accounting for about 10% of their annual income. Categories with higher litigation risks, such as obstetrics and gynecology, have higher premiums, accounting for about 15-18% of a doctor's annual income. This is also the reason why obstetricians and gynecologists across the United States have marched in the past two years: income is relatively low, and insurance costs are too high.
The income of doctors in the United States varies greatly. A general "general practitioner" family doctor or pediatrician in a private clinic probably earns about US$150,000 to US$180,000 per year. The higher-paid experts in brain surgery, cardiac surgery, orthopedics, etc. have an annual income of about US$800,000, which is not yet a well-known expert in the United States.
The annual income of hospital physicians in the United States is about US$70,000 to US$80,000. Choosing to go to a private clinic or a hospital is an easy decision to make.
Most of the doctors in American hospitals are young doctors who have just graduated and have no foundation. They need to "practice" here, or they are doctors with average private clinic business and work part-time here. "Good hospitals" in the United States refer to hospitals with good hardware such as instruments and equipment, rather than "big-name" doctors in these hospitals.
Doctors are controlled by the "Doctors Association"
It is not the hospitals that really control and have a major influence on doctors, but the semi-official "American Doctors Association", including the "National Doctors Association" Association” and its state affiliates.
The "American Medical Association" is responsible for the issuance of medical licenses for American doctors and the qualification review of clinics. After a doctor obtains a medical license from the National Medical Association, he or she must renew his or her license by taking an examination from the Medical Association in the state where he or she lives every year.
The association has a dual function. On the one hand, it is a government function, because many members of the association are "policy people" from some government departments, such as from the "Ministry of Health", "National Institutes of Health", etc.; on the other hand, it is an industry association to protect the interests of doctors. .
Going to the United States for treatment is expensive, usually 3-5 times the cost of domestic treatment, but here, patients can enjoy the world's most advanced technology, the latest drugs, personalized treatment plans, and medical care. The humanistic care received in the team.