Russell Dohner, a Rushville, Illinois doctor since 1955, is getting some nice press for basically doing charity work. He charges $5 per visit and has been doing that since the 1970’s. Here is also what the article said:
The low price isn’t the only thing at Dohner’s office that’s remained constant for decades. The office hasn’t been remodeled, nurses haven’t been replaced and staff members haven’t ditched their old-school method of writing medical records on index cards in favor of more modern technology.
Hmm. Seems a little weird. Talk about a time warp. Is he still using ether? They also say he has never taken a vacation and works seven days a week. That just can’t be that healthy. At $5 a visit, I suspect he would have to do that just to pay staff. Before you get mad at me, I do give him a lot of credit. I am not trying to knock him because he must love what he does as he truly has given his whole life to being a family doctor.
What I found really interesting was how the article positioned Dr. Dohner’s “model” as an answer to our healthcare crisis. Really? This guy is a modern day Mother Theresa. But let’s look at the numbers if every family doctor charged the same amount. The average doctor sees 25 patients a day. That is a total gross profit of $125 a day or for Dr. Dohner, or $45,625 a year working every single day without a day off. If you pay rent, pay two staff members, pay taxes, pay utility bills, etc then you would be left with, umm……bankruptcy before your first six months were done. Well, I guess that does solve the healthcare crisis, doesn’t it?
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In many ways, this gentleman is the model for “Authentic Medicine” – for a bygone day. Doubtless he is able to do what he may now because he was not confronted in his formative and prime years with the economic and regulatory burdens of present day. Moreover, if he is treating Medicare patients, according to the law, he is liable for fines and sanctions for undercharging, not to mention not keeping CMS-aproved records.
And Doug you nailed it – this is the guy, however honorable, that would be used as a bludgeon to force his descendants to work for less and do more. A nice bit of living history, but not a credible goal.
Even at $5 a visit, there’d be people bitching about the price!