Hospital Services Performed Overseas -- (an example of Friedman's

[rodeodance]

"the World is flat".). It is not just clerical work to be oursoursed but anything that can be done via the computer/imaging.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12392-2005Apr23.html?nav=slate

Hospital Services Performed Overseas

Training, Licensing Questions Raised

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 24, 2005; Page A01

When patients needed urgent CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds late at night at St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, Conn., emergency room workers used to rouse a bleary-eyed staff radiologist from his bed to read the images. Not anymore.

The work now goes to Arjun Kalyanpur -- 8,000 miles away in Bangalore, India. When it is the middle of the night in Connecticut, Kalyanpur is in the middle of his day, handling calls from St. Mary's and dozens of other American hospitals that transmit pictures to him electronically so he can quickly assess them and advise their doctors.

Kalyanpur runs one of an increasing number of "nighthawk" companies operating in the United States and overseas to take advantage of time-zone differences and the latest technology by having radiologists read images from such far-flung places as Hawaii, India, Australia, Switzerland, Israel and Brazil.

The companies, and the doctors and hospitals using them, say the trend is improving care by guaranteeing that well-rested radiologists are always available, even in the middle of the night, even for the smallest hospitals and in the most rural areas........

[Massacure]

1. Pretty cool provided that when its night time there, they ask us.

[Blue Gardener]

3. Fat chance

I don't think it will work the other way. We all know the real reason for outsourcing is greed, not because they don't want to wake someone up to read an x-ray.
Are there going to be any jobs left in the USA? This ousourcing bullshit is getting out of control.

[preciousdove]

2. All Foreign Smiles clnic sucks

I was referred by Doral dental to this clinic 45 miles from my home because they wouldn't pay for a speicalist even the U of Mn dental clinic that offers really reduced fees. I was sent there to have a root canal done but the real purpose was to eliminate an infection that had been simmering for months possibley years. They didn't get it.

They did the root canal but watned to totally ignore the infection. Refused to give me proper antibiotics or pain meds (3 times I had to argue to get antibiotics with pus dripping out of me). They insited on closing up the tooth while it was still draining despite my arguuing with them causing a trip to the ER in the middle of the night.

They also "forgot" that I already had a bridge and proceeded to try to reshape the tooth stub without telling me what he was doing.

I do speak up what happens to those who don't or can't and what happens when the doctor is across the world away. How can he or she possibly care what happens to the patient as long as he "does his job" which may be following a proceedure even if it kills the patient.

[reprobate]

4. And what are the liability consequences when he fucks up?

What do you think the chances are of holding foreign doctor liable in the case that he misreads the xray or whatever he is doing? Is there some sort of "hold innocent" clause in his contract? And just why do we have to answer these questions.

[wakeme2008]

5. radiologist in the US make $250,000 per year

radiologist in India make $25,000 per year...

And the real reason they are using overseas radiologist is what...

[knitter4democracy]

8. Many make more than that.

Radiologists are some of the highest paid doctors around. It's getting harder to get any to come to more rural areas or smaller hospitals because we can't compete with higher pay somewhere else. There also aren't a whole lot of them around, not enough to meet demand, anyway. We're having big-time troubles with that here in SW Michigan, at least.

[wakeme2008]

9. Yes but I was reading that US Radiologists are

very upset with the India deal... Just like us software types....

There was one company in Mass, that had on it payroll, 5 Radiologist at $250,000, and they were looking to outsource to India and drop most of their High Price talent. Just like us software types... And the Radiologists employees were screaming murder over it.

Oh, and the owner of the company had no plans to change the price he charged for the services of "his" Radiologist........

[knitter4democracy]

10. Yeah, they are.

Why would anyone become a radiologist, then? If we already don't have enough for the need, it would just get worse. If we don't have radiologists (not everything can be send over the wires--some stuff has to be done and seen in person), we're really screwed. That's a real talent, to be able to look at grey blobs on grey blobs and pick the right grey blob that is the cancer or whatever.

I remember when my (internist) hubby was in residency, one of the hospitals in town was using radiologists on the East Coast to cover the night shift. He hated it! He'd have to call to go over a diagnosis, and the resident on the other end was all non-commital--not his patient, really, so not his problem. It's crappy care, is what it is, and we should let our hospitals and other programs know what we think of it.

[brainshrub]

6. Race-to-the-bottom redux.

[rodeodance]

7. well folks it will continue as long as labor costs companies so much

in the USA---and we know CEO salaries are not going down!!

[NNN0LHI]

11. Friedman's head is whats flat n/t