Who's Reading Your X-Ray?

The New York Times ^ | November 16, 2003 | ANDREW POLLACK

[Voltage]

"People want to protect their turf," Dr. Saini of Massachusetts General said. "But it's very interesting that that turf battle stops at 5 p.m. on Friday. How many people say they want to do this thing on Saturday and Sunday?"

Very true. You had better not get unlucky and get sick on a weekend.

[malia]

bump for later

[oceanview]

nonsense, my grandmother has gone for Xrays and MRIs on weekends all the time.

another "acute shortage" being ginned up to hide the real desire behind offshoring. oh, let me know when the XRAY costs to consumers start declining.

[GOPJ]

Low cost computers? Why not low cost medical care?

[lelio]

Dr. Thomas A. Manning, a staff radiologist at Centre Community Hospital in State College, Pa., which uses Dr. Kalyanpur, said it was better to have nighttime images read by a qualified radiologist overseas than by a resident still in training, the practice at some teaching hospitals.

And after people wise up to what's going on, you're not going to have to worry about using residents in teaching hospitals ... as they won't be attending. Why study for 10+ years when your job can be easily shifted overseas?

[Voltage]

You must be lucky, that is not the case where I live.

[sigSEGV]

Competition is always good in the long run.

[1rudeboy]

I remain mystified why protectionists insist that the cost of something must decline, when their central contention is always that things must remain expensive.

[Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh]

"Who needs to pay us $350,000/yr if they can get a cheap Indian radiologist for $25,000/yr."

Exactly. The radiologists here are overpaid.

[oceanview]

soon, the only americans who won't be "overpaid" will be government employees, the corporate elite, lawyers, and the crooks on wall street. a hell of a system.

[elbucko]

oh, let me know when the XRAY costs to consumers start declining.

Not a chance. If there is any savings at all , the Doc's will pocket the difference. Ferrari mechanics need to eat too.

[oceanview]

the point to be made here, in reference to what the article in about, is that at least when manufacturing was sent offshore, a benefit was returned to US consumers in the form of lower prices on goods. we can argue about the net effects on the economy, the quality of the goods, etc, but suffice to say that consumers did benefit.

How about now? The current wave of offshoring, any benefits to the consumer? Cheap XRAYS? What is Goldman Sachs doing with the cost savings from their offshoring efforts? Insurance companies are offshoring, see any rates reductions on your policy?

[oceanview]

exactly right. hell, if my EKG is going to be monitored by someone in a Chinese sweatshop, and if the Indians are reading my XRAYs, health care costs should decline dramatically. right?

[Burlem]

you forgot the congress critters.

[1rudeboy]

A common misconception among protectionists is that free-market competition necessarily leads to lower prices. Take Nike for example. A protectionist argues that because Nike is (re)locating in low-wage areas, that that cost-savings should be passed along to consumers. This attitude betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of economics. Nike not only has other variable costs that may be rising, but it may choose to re-invest its additional profit (if it is rising) back into the company, buy additional assets, distribute it back to shareholders, etc. Also, protectionists fail to understand that Nike spends billions on marketing and branding in order to get consumers to pay more for its product. Look at Tiger Woods.

The only thing that competition in a free(r) market guarantees is higher efficiency. To claim that prices should magically fall whenever a competitive decision is made is, well, myopic.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

When my son had a closed head brain injury, I was not shopping for Wal-Mart prices among neurosurgeons. I wanted the best in the world. What is the best in care for your sick or injured child worth to you?

[pabianice]

They're pissing into a hurricane. Non-classified knowledge jobs that can be ITed are all going offshore. A doctor in India working for $ 25/hour can just as readily diagnose you from your test results as can your $ 800/hour doc in Boston.

A few years ago Haldeman wrote a story of mid-21st century medicine. It was peopled by the equivalent of auto repairmen who simply followed the computer's instructions. It's coming soon. The fantastically wealthy physician is an historical anomaly seen only from 1955 to 2035.

[TLI]

80% at least, I would think. I would email that thought to your medical provider.