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Cost could be minimized if the particular doctor does not have to pay for a facility. I can't even begin to imagine what the cost per sq/ft of a generic doctor
by kfriede 9y ago
Cost could be minimized if the particular doctor does not have to pay for a facility. I can't even begin to imagine what the cost per sq/ft of a generic doctor's office is, given all the regulation and equipment requirements. Having them mobile may remove a significant cost (though probably won't come close to the added opportunity-cost you mentioned).
- SiempreViernes 9y agoI can’t see how there would be any cost savings except if you dump equipment that would otherwise be available; making the entire contents of a clinic mobile is surely more costly and complicated than paying rent.
- bobthepanda 9y agoTest kits are mobile, vaccines and bloodwork are mobile, basic diagnostic equipment is mobile. Most people do not need the vast majority of things a clinic contains; nothing you couldn't solve with a small refrigerable unit in a vehicle. That being said, the downsides of travel time are so negative it's hard to see how they could be overcome.
- dragonwriter 9y ago> I can’t see how there would be any cost savings except if you dump equipment that would otherwise be available Compared to an urgent care facility, they pretty clearly have to be doing that.
- notatoad 9y agoMy point wasn't just about cost, but rather care. People need doctors, and "there isn't enough doctors" seems to be a common problem in health care. The cost could also be mitigated by simply charging more, but having doctors spend their time driving instead of treating patients means that the number of doctors needed for the same quality of care goes way up, and in many cases doctors are not a resource that you can simply get more of because you need more. For every doctor's appointment serviced by Heal, ~3 appointments are taken away from a community clinic somewhere.
- trevyn 9y ago>For every doctor's appointment serviced by Heal, ~3 appointments are taken away from a community clinic somewhere. It sounds to me like you may be making unjustified assumptions to get to that conclusion. Citation?
- notatoad 9y agoI outlined my reasoning in my post above, unless heal is creating new doctors they are hiring away doctors from more efficient types of care.
- trevyn 9y agoYour reasoning is based on assumptions that there is no evidence for. Not all doctors are employed in providing care, you don’t know what Heal doctors are doing between seeing patients, you don’t know how Heal sources or compensates doctors, medical efficiency is not measured in patient-minutes, you don’t know how many patients a Heal doctor sees vs a clinic doctor, you don’t know the bottlenecks of community clinics, etc. etc.
- alsetmusic 9y ago> Your reasoning is based on assumptions that there is no evidence for. I have no horse in this race, but I found it interesting that the above was followed by four “you don’t know…” statements. You’re making assumptions as well. The person to whom you are responding may know a great deal more than they have revealed.
- mbesto 9y ago> doctor does not have to pay for a facility > given all the regulation and equipment requirements. Um, so how does not having a facility, which is probably required to give care, all of the sudden eliminate all of the equipment and regulatory requirements? I mean, don't you think the equipment and the regulation is probably there for a reason..?
- newfoundglory 9y agoWell, if you build a clinic it needs to be wheelchair accessible, and have access to parking for all the patients that might be present at one time, for example. If you visit patients then they either live somewhere accessible or not and you just need to get one car to their place.
- dragonwriter 9y ago> Um, so how does not having a facility, which is probably required to give care It's required for certain levels of care, but not every encounter requires those.
- koolba 9y agoSame way a taco truck is cheaper to operate than a sit down restaurant. You still have to follow the local health codes but your fixed costs would be less.