A doctor in Minnesota is running her practice quite a bit differently than most doctors would even consider doing today. She accepts payments by cash or check, (and sometimes accepts gratuities in the form of goods). Surprisingly, she does not accept any form of health insurance from her patients. In today’s age of health insurance reform and regulation, this is a very interesting choice.
Dr. Susan Rutten Wasson sees patients the same day that they ask to be seen, (unless she happens to already be booked up for that day). When was the last time that you were able to get a same day appointment from your doctor’s office? She sometimes makes house calls, something that you just don’t see American doctors doing at all anymore.
Dr. Rutten Wasson spends at least thirty minutes with a patient on a typical visit. Compare that to the quick, in and out, fifteen minutes or less speed visits that most doctors are spending with patients they see in their offices.
The last time I went to see a doctor, I believe I was in and out of there in under ten minutes. I just went in for her to check what I thought could have been a mild allergy reaction on my skin. It turned out to be “nothing”, which I was happy to hear. This visit cost me about $100.00, which may have something to do with the fact that I don’t have health insurance for the doctor to send the bill to.
Dr. Rutten Wasson typically charges her patients around $50.00 for a consultation. They can pay her by cash, or by check, but she doesn’t accept any type of health insurance. Sometimes patients will choose to pay her more than her fee, because they feel she did a really good job, and wish to express their appreciation for her efforts. She has also had patients pay her, or “tip her” with barter. This could include anything from a dozen fresh eggs, a pie, tomatoes, or even pork sausage.
The reason why she is able to accept these non-traditional forms of payment is because she does not have to deal with the hassles that insurance companies bring to health care. She doesn’t have to spend time doing paperwork, or filing claims, and this gives her more time actually spend with her patients.
She says that she views medicine as more of a “ministry” than as an industry. I think that this means that for her, working as a doctor, and providing good health care to patients, is something like a “calling”. I’m not certain how many other doctors actually feel that way.
Right now, we are in a time when there is a lot of regulation and reform going on that is changing how health insurance companies treat their patients. Dr. Rutten Wasson is a reminder that the practice of medicine wasn’t always entwined with health insurance.
Image by Cameron Nordholm on Flickr