Is this based solely on whether the health professional has narcissistic tendencies or does the service they provide really deserve much higher recognition and pay? Is the service they provide in the private system much more superior than the service from their public system colleagues?
Lets look at that a little more. ACC for example, contract these private providers (Consultants) to do assessments on their ACC claimants. That initial assessment usually takes about 1-2 hours, though most try to hurry them along so they can fit more assessments in a day. ACC then pay the providers for these services. GP's paid upwards of $750 and the actual Specialist Consultants paid upwards of $1400 for these 1 hour assessments. When they are questioned about these payments the standard answer is "we have a lot of research and background reading to do before and after the assessment". I do find this to be a very contrite answer. After all, are they saying the public Consultants don't do any background history or research, or to a lesser degree? What total rubbish!! If anything the public Consultants have access to a lot more information, background history and resources than these ACC doctors do and therefore, do a more thorough comprehensive job. However, if we paid our public health system Consultants the same way we would likely bankrupt the country! So, who decides worth here?!? Do such payments happen because no one would consult for ACC without this nice little incentive? Meaning that maybe these Consultants are more interested in money than intergity! Or is it just that ACC are stupid and believe that is how much doctors in the real world actually get paid?
But it's not only ACC's Independent Contracted Providers that have an over inflated sense of self importance(while they do receive the largest cut of the pie for it). Each Consultant, Dentist, Therapist, etc in private practice puts a price on the service they offer and this price can often vary considerably for the same service within the same City. So how does one assign their worth?
Hi ya, Wow!!! I had no idea they get paid so much to ask us a bunch of questions that absolutely have not much to do with what we need. Well, maybe a handful of them but most of those questions have nothing to do with the loses that we have had and the emotional roller coaster that that has on us. e.g. can we go to the toilet by ourselves? Whats that got to do with a claim that we specifically are making. So they take all that time to ask questions that really don't even pertain to us. Are these the people you are talking about Alex? Cause what a total waste of mine and their time and stress that it takes to get through it all. Crazy! absolutely crazy!!! Acc would save so much money if they had questions that were taylored and sensitive to people peoples claims. Thanks for this it very informative.
ReplyDeleteI like your blog!!!
Thank you for your comment bluebutterfly49. I think what you express is not such an uncommon feeling from those who see ACC Clinicains. I have known many people who have said they felt those assessments were more like interrogations than supportive. It becomes difficult in such cases to built any kind of rapport when you are on guard like that. When you know they aren't actually asking questions like 'is there a family history of ****" because they want to help but rather to deny the claim due to it possibly being 'genetic or hereditary' then it creates a whole new dymamic which we aren't accustomed to in NZ.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found interesting in the ACC assessments that I had for my IA, is the first question they asked was what debts I had... i.e. was I doing this whole ACC thing because I need the money. Considering the money the assessor was getting, may be I should have asked them about their financial situation and motivations?
ReplyDeleteI know there are ethical practitioners out there, but what about the ones that aren't? What about the ones that will find what ACC want, in order to ensure that they continue to get the ACC referrals? It's a potentially slippery slope.
As for the concept of how much private clinicians charge, I find that interesting. Many seem to have sliding scales, but how many people would feel comfortable negotiating a price? Doesn't that negotiation indicate some boundary issues?? Not sure, but it makes me feel uneasy.
Take care,
CG
Thanks for your comments Castorgirl. You make some really good points about boundary issues attached to negotiating payment. These issues also come up when the client stops paying or can't afford to pay. In the case of therapy does it end here and how does that then make the client feel to then not have their Psychiatrist or Counsellor stop returning their calls?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what your amount of 'debt' really has to do with your injury? Unless they think the stress could impact on your mental or physicial health in some, which it possibly could I guess.
I have seen claims denied when the DHB doctors have stated the injury is NOT degenerative but the ACC doctors say it is. These doctors are undermining their own colleagues. One such Consultant was so annoyed he paid out of his own pocket to take ACC to court for the claimant (their patient).
Interesting comments - particularly about the amount ACC Contracted Providers are paid for assessments. ACC contracted two Psychiatrists to undertake a paper based file review/assessment of my sensitive claim. Both Psychiatrists later withdrew from doing the assessment, but one of those Doctors invoiced ACC and was paid by them - $4166.67 for 10 1/2 hours work. Except that work did not involve anything other than saying no to doing the assessment. Now go figure that one out - who is getting wealthy off the vulnerable?? I later requested from the Doctor that was paid by ACC (under the provisions of the IOA/Privacy Act), my information that she obviously had documented about my claim, except she replied that she did NOT make any notes, keep copies etc. But then I ask myself the question - how is it that she could then invoice ACC and be paid by them $4166.67 for NOT undertaking any assessment and for saying NO???
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