One Doctor Approved 11,800 Patients

[Zerocool]

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/11/03/audit-1-doctor-approved-11800-medical-marijuana-patients/93229338/

 

One doctor approved 11,800 patients for medical marijuana in Michigan

Edited November 3, 2016 by Zerocool

[bax]

oh this not good news.

[t-pain]

Lara is in the process of getting a new website, maybe online change forms. according to the report.

[trichcycler]

the law chooses to threaten the bulk of them, then employers threaten many, what the heck did we/they expect?  Who is this famous doctor?

[Restorium2]

Just guessing. With that kind of volume it's probably dispensary related. The 'doctor at the dispensary' set up. But who knows?

[free420country]

It really should not matter how many the doc certified.

[Restorium2]

If true .... the math is the killer; 

 

Thee doctor who certified 11,810 patients in 2015, based on a 261-day work year, would have had to see an average of 45 patients per day, the report said.

[Restorium2]

11 hour days, 15 minutes a patient, no breaks. If true.

Edited November 3, 2016 by Restorium2

[Wild Bill]

I've been to several doctors who didn't examine me but left that to a physicians assistant. The doctor looked at the results and then treated the problem accordingly. I didn't see the doctor himself for more than a few minutes but still felt that I received adequate medical care.

 

Why should there be an assumption that this doctor didn't do the same thing and if he did, why should it create a problem for cannabis certifications when it doesn't for other medical issues?

[Restorium2]

Even at $100 a piece it's $1,180,000. If true. It's interesting.

[Kingdiamond]

It really should not matter how many the doc certified.

Exactly how many doctors have seen this many people to prescribe painkillers ?

 

If the guy has a license to practice medicine whats the problem?

[Restorium2]

If true, the math makes it next to humanly impossible. When you push it that far it gets hard to defend is all. 

 

11.25 hour days, 15 minutes a patient, no breaks. Day after day. It would be nearly impossible. If true. 

[Restorium2]

I'm looking at the report and I think that  Michigan Auditor General Doug Ringler is mistaken in his calculations. I don't think it's even possible for a doctor's office to put that many through in a year. Something smells fishy.

[Smallbiz]

I have a feeling it's not just over a year. But what do they expect when most primary care DR. Can't even sign the rec.

[+Malamute]

What's the math for working 6 days a week?

 

(I am feeling lazy today)

 

 And this is ONE doctor. Seems the others are pretty okie dokie?

[+Malamute]

The 22 other doctors who certified a combined 46,854 marijuana cards would have had to see an average of eight patients per day, the report said.

 

 

 

Ok... So that is an average of 2130 patients each.  Completely normal patient load.

 

:-)

 

 And I am guessing they grouped in the number 2 doctor to make the other 21 look worse probably.  I mean, if the number 2 doctor has say 9000 patients, that really lopsides what is really happening. 

[+Malamute]

Bottom line, they are starting to go after physicians more.  Not good.

[Restorium2]

It seems like it would be next to impossible for one entity to even do all the paperwork that fast and LARA approve it. It's like one every 9 minutes or less. Even if the service was free, I don't think you could drag people in off the street and do all their paperwork that fast. And do it for a whole year. Even a dispensary with a drive through wouldn't be able to get that many unique people in a row for a year. 

 

The best answer right now is they made it all up to validate their ideas on how to mess with doctors.

[semicaregiver]

It seems like it would be next to impossible for one entity to even do all the paperwork that fast and LARA approve it. It's like one every 9 minutes or less. Even if the service was free, I don't think you could drag people in off the street and do all their paperwork that fast. And do it for a whole year. Even a dispensary with a drive through wouldn't be able to get that many unique people in a row for a year. 

 

The best answer right now is they made it all up to validate their ideas on how to mess with doctors.

Resto makes an interesting observation.     Forget the medical issues, could a single doc be so successful at marketing that they are booking patients every 9 minutes 5 days a week 52 weeks a year?

[Smallbiz]

It says Lara receives 450 apps a day? Does this seem high?

[Restorium2]

It seems they have a 'target' and it will come out who this doctor is and where he does his/her recs. This new 'inspector' has obviously 'padded' the count to show a need and to stir up some public outrage. Just another lying cop press release. We are used to that. LIke when they say a person has 1000 pounds of marijuana then we find out they had 3 grams over. 

[bax]

i have issues with the "average" number of patients that doctors gave in the two surveys that they quoted.

 

what kind of doctor only sees 8 patients in a day? thats one per hour? i've seen more people (25+) in the waiting room just in the hour i sit there. not talking about cert dr, but all doctors i've ever been to.

 

AHA! thats what lara did. LARA fudged the numbers, AGAIN.

 

a survey conducted by the physicians foundation during 2014 indicated that the majority of primary care physicians reported seeing an average of 11 to 20 patients per day, and an article published by the july-august 2016 issue of the journal of the american board of family medicine stated that current caseloads for primary care physicians were between 1,200 and 1,900 patients.

a majority saw 11-20 huh?

 

here are the numbers from 2008 and 2012

 

 

from here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/05/22/how-many-patients-should-your-doctor-see-each-day/

 

looking at the small chart, the MAJORITY of physicians saw more than 21 patients per day. because 40.7% is more than 39.8% of physicians. ok thats for 2012. lets find the 2014 data.

 

http://www.physiciansfoundation.org/news/survey-of-20000-us-physicians-shows-80-of-doctors-are-over-extended-or-at/

 

 

Physicians surveyed said they work an average of 53 hours per week and see approximately 20 patients per day

53 hours per week. there arent doctors in practice who work 4 hours and then quit to play golf the rest of the day. they have to pay off student loans too!

 

full report:

http://www.physiciansfoundation.org/uploads/default/2014_Physicians_Foundation_Biennial_Physician_Survey_Report.pdf

 

ok here we go...

 

 

there you have it, a MAJORITY of physicians in 2014 still saw more than 21 patients per day. dont believe this 11 patients a day moo poo.

 

whats more disgusting is that LARA is trying to imply that a doctor who sees 45 patients in a day is doing something wrong. flower LARA and anyone else who says this.

 

also, it seems stupid to compare a primary physician caseload with a specialty physician caseload. primary physicians are good for what? once a year checkups, simple problems. otherwise you get shuffled to a specialist, be it oncologist, osteopathic, head/neck, podiatrist, etc etc.

 

i also have issues with the numbers themselves. these are the kinds of numbers that the government and medicare looks at. these survey results are highly politicized and open to a lot of biases. because medicare changes what they compensate doctors based on surveys like this.

Edited November 4, 2016 by bax

[cristinew]

He must be in Lower Michigan  

Duke LifePoint | UP Health System – Marquette    Upper Michigan cannabis patients cannot use any

 

Cannabis at all.. Duke will fire the DR if he does not kick the patient to the curb..  100s of Upper Michigan pain patients have discontinued the MM program,

Edited November 4, 2016 by cristinew

[Restorium2]

what kind of doctor only sees 8 patients in a day? 

 

The one I use. From what I have seen in his office he probably doesn't even do 8 new MM patients a day, every day. Just guessing from what I have seen in 8 years. My wife's mm doctor is about the same. Slow and steady. 

 

The only thing I can think of that I have heard about that might be higher volume is "The doctor will be at the dispensary on Wednesday". But that's just one day a week. I can imagine they could turn over patients in about 30 minutes that way. But no way they have a successful turnover of near 9 minutes all day every day all year long. 

[phaquetoo]

the law chooses to threaten the bulk of them, then employers threaten many, what the heck did we/they expect?  Who is this famous doctor?

I bet I can name at least 2 dr.'s that do the most rec's and renew's!

 

I wont even say which dr.'s I beleive it is!

 

I'm looking at the report and I think that  Michigan Auditor General Doug Ringler is mistaken in his calculations. I don't think it's even possible for a doctor's office to put that many through in a year. Something smells fishy.

hell yes it smells fishy, If you dont have to see the dr. for your certs and renews and it is all done by snail mail it can be done and is being done.

 

It seems like it would be next to impossible for one entity to even do all the paperwork that fast and LARA approve it. It's like one every 9 minutes or less. Even if the service was free, I don't think you could drag people in off the street and do all their paperwork that fast. And do it for a whole year. Even a dispensary with a drive through wouldn't be able to get that many unique people in a row for a year. 

 

The best answer right now is they made it all up to validate their ideas on how to mess with doctors.

If you charge 160 for a cert or renew and have a few people typing and mailing certs,,,,,no problem!

 

I know the math on this is bad, because the radio is quoting that one doctor certified 1/5 of the patients, and that math just doesn't work out here, not even close. They are running some fuzzy math to cast a bad light for a purpose. The lede was "changes are coming" so they must have more control they want to put on the system.

You Know,,,,wow why dont that suprise me, of course you know you are our great know it all.  I took my lady to get certed, it was being done in a golf course confrence room, I counted over 200 people in the hour and a half I was there, and they were still coming in, my lady did not see a dr.,,,,,they sent her thru to at least 3 diff people (i went to all of the steps to make sure they didnt give her their own c.g,,,,which is being done sometimes) not one of the people were a dr. they didnt even skype a dr.,,,,,,,,,they had signed certs by a dr. and any one that had 200 bucks left there with a cert. it was like leading cattle to the slotter house!

 

It seems they have a 'target' and it will come out who this doctor is and where he does his/her recs. This new 'inspector' has obviously 'padded' the count to show a need and to stir up some public outrage. Just another lying cop press release. We are used to that. LIke when they say a person has 1000 pounds of marijuana then we find out they had 3 grams over. 

Another know it all!

 

How many different dr.'s have you had to see to stay legal?

 

I have at least been seeing the same one for the last 3 renews, 1 for 1 yr and 2 for 2 y rs, so that covers 5 of my yrs, before that I went to one dr. he certed me the 1st 2 yrs, and than lost his biz for writing to many narcotics and they connected a lot of over doses to him thru his rx writing!

 

 

When you get your cert from a despense you dont see the dr. do you?  I dont mean on skype, do you physicaly see or get an exam from a dr. or any one for that matter!

 

If not for these dr.'s certing people their would be no program, hospitals wont let their dr.s cert people, I dont know any one that gets their cert or renew from the primary care physician, untill that is fixed there will always be dr.'s who write more than others!

 

For us pts we need to make sure we have a dr. pt real relationship, not fill out some paper work like you are sitting in their lobby (that is done at home and mailed in) and they want your updated med records, but they dont care if you dont get them to them in 2 yrs when your ready to renew!

 

This is lara's fault, and now they are going to make it pt's and dr.'s fault!

 

Peace