HEALTH CARE COSTS

The current system of compensating physicians based upon a diagnosis and subsequent treatment invites fraud by upgrading a diagnosis and over testing and treating.  If physicians were to be compensated on a time basis, a system could be devised where credentials, specialties and geographical factors would determine an hourly rate.  This may even encourage them to devote more time to each patient.  Lawyers perform a variety of tasks but charge by time, why not doctors.  We now pay for the doctors total skills even though most office visits involve relatively simple tasks which take little time and skill.  It's like hospitals charging for rooms based on the costs of operating the entire hospital or a mechanic charging his hourly rate when inflating your car tires.

This method would simplify the billing and payment systems while giving the patient a tool to identify overcharging.  A patient knows when he was at the doctors office but cannot evaluate whether or not what was billed was what was done.  Of course, all the necessary medical information would still be required on a claim but the charges would be based upon time spent with the patient.

Lurking somewhere in this suggestion is a good idea but it will take some one smarter than I am to figure it out.  If you're out there, get going.