It’s a little wonky, but here is the state of primary care in America. From the WSJ.
Dr. Hammond’s practice roughly broke even last year, with a profit of $29,261. The practice distributes its profit as bonuses to staff. Dr. Hammond says the practice operates on such a thin cash cushion that if a doctor or one of Westminster’s two physician assistants were gone for more than two months, it wouldn’t be able to make its payroll. Also, the clinic hasn’t been able to pay off around $86,000 in long-term debt, though it didn’t borrow to pay for its recent upgrades, including around $100,000 it spent to install the electronic medical records. “Any day, the bottom can drop out,” he says. “We could be bankrupt next month.”
Last year, the clinic took in $2,115,101 in total revenue and barely inched into the black. In 2010, the practice lost money.
