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Administrative Costs Add Heavy Expense To Health Care

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - There is a growing problem in medicine and it has nothing to do with your physician. Administrative costs may be the real reason your doctor's bill is so expensive.

Here in the United States there are so many different payment systems and billing requirements, there is a need to have a large number of employees on the administrative side. Regrettably, the expenses don't necessarily have anything to do with better care.

We are spending far more money but life expectancy in the US is shorter than many other countries. For instance, it is two years shorter than in Canada and France.

In my career, which spans just a few decades, I have noticed that the health care that was once provided between a doctor and a patient for a simple payment - much like visiting any place of business - is now supported by coders, hospital administrators, information technologists, malpractice attorneys, marketing representatives and the list goes on and on.

Certainly some of this is necessary but the time you get with your doctor is being shortened to absorb these costs - that have little if anything to do with your care.

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