Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at Mayo Clinic arrested

Bradley Barnes90 said:I get you... so I guess that makes the Secretary of Health responsible for most of it?

Yeah, but you've got one former 😈

All jokes aside, I guess every administration up until now is to blame because they just don't want to actually commit to healthcare reform. They know perfectly well that it would mean more costs for everyone, which is basically political suicide for anyone brave enough to even mention it, let alone try to make it happen.
It’s the same people too, honestly—it's kind of weird how Americans have embraced capitalism in every other part of life, yet when it comes to health, they expect the government to foot the whole bill while cutting corners everywhere else. People are struggling, sure, but much wealthier nations handle the social side of healthcare because, well, it's incredibly expensive and only getting pricier. HEALTH COSTS MONEY!!! Just like gas, designer clothes, or a new iPhone... people have money for all those luxuries, but they hate spending it on health. Then there's this whole misunderstanding of insurance, where people see it as just throwing money away for something they might never even need. Like, if car insurance wasn't mandatory, who would actually pay for it???
The folks working within the system realize the standard of care needs to be world-class, but nobody seems to know what that price tag actually looks like.
So, it’s probably easier for the public to just vent their frustration at doctors every day rather than actually asking why the entire system is fundamentally broken (and look, I know not every doctor is a saint, let's be real). And believe it or not, actual corruption isn't about some random $5,000 bribe; there are much larger sums moving through the higher levels of the system, though I guess the FBI doesn't bother looking there....

And that's how you end up in this endless loop where the same old problems just get passed around from election to election without ever being mentioned in a campaign, while the system just keeps sinking... so it’s no wonder corruption exists.

goldengull3 said:The whole medical residency system seems to be in pretty rough shape—we've got plenty of people working in departments, yet we're still facing a massive shortage of actual specialists. It’s not like an assembly line where you can just speed things up...

That's true, though I heard once we join the European Union, they'll probably require us to have at least twice as many residents in training.
then we might end up importing trainees from neighboring countries—not that it would really help us much, I guess. 😳

nimblestag31 said:I have to hand it to you, your way of measuring value is pretty unique.
So, you're saying $5,000–$6,000 is an amazing salary? Especially if you're an MD, or even better, a specialist with years of experience under your belt, a family to provide for, and a schedule that isn't just a standard 9-to-5 because you carry the legal and moral weight of being on call whenever someone needs you...
👍
Honestly, even $5k–$6k is too much; we should probably cut that down. Some people are happy with $3k and won't say a word, right? 🙄

Oh, nimblestag31, honey, you've got your wires crossed right from the jump. Complaining about a specialist doctor making $5,000 or $6,000 is absolute nonsense, and here you are, latching onto those numbers and dragging out this pathetic whining like Babić himself is cutting your paycheck.
The starting coefficient for a specialist is around 2.04. I think the base pay is a bit over $1500. Then you get a 0.5% bump for every year of seniority. Plus, almost everywhere else, there’s some kind of stipend for working conditions or responsibility. On-call shifts—whether they're regular, weekend, or holiday shifts—pay roughly between $500 and $333. Any leadership role within a department comes with extra pay, too. And heaven forbid a kid ends up in your care... oops, there goes the salary back to a standard, comfortable, relaxing minimum of $11,000–$12,000, and that’s in the public sector here in America. That applies whether you're a top-tier expert dedicated to the craft or a total slacker who rolls in at 9 and ghosts by 1.
So, don't try to sell me those stories; they're completely out of touch.
I do agree with Casey Cook10 that overtime hours outside of scheduled shifts should be compensated—that makes perfect sense. But should we really be deducting the early hours too?
Look, anyone who isn't happy with all of that can always just go into private practice. I already said that, so I'm not sure why you're getting defensive about it for no reason.

Scott Allen10 said:Hey nimblestag31—looks like you might be getting a little ahead of yourself already, I guess!I guess I'll just leave it at that—maybe! Little pots. — I guess? Maybe just little pots. The whole debate about specialist doctors only making $5,000 or $6,000—it’s just total nonsense, I guess. And you're really sticking to those numbers—just dragging out this pathetic whining like Babić is personally paying you to do it.
The starting specialist coefficient is around 2.04—I think the base rate is actually just a little bit higher than that, maybe. $1500You get a 0.5% bump for every year of seniority—I guess that's pretty standard—and there's usually some kind of extra pay for working conditions or responsibility too. On-call shifts get paid as well, depending on whether it's a regular weekday, a weekend, or a holiday, maybe somewhere around $500...$333Every single role within the department comes with its own little extra stipend—I guess. Even if you've got kids following you around... man... they still end up getting paid those standard, comfortable, super relaxing minimums of like $2,000 or $2,500—and that's just in the public sector here in America. It doesn't even matter if you're some top-tier expert totally dedicated to the job or just a total slacker who rolls in at 9 and vanishes by 1.
So, don't try to sell me those stories—they're honestly a bit out of place, I guess.😕
If anyone’s unhappy with all this—which, I guess, is totally fair—they can always just reach out privately. I mentioned that before, too—so I'm not really sure why everyone is getting so worked up over nothing.

Wow—I’m actually pretty impressed. I feel like I finally see things clearly now—maybe a little enlightened, I guess!
I mean, I'm sure those types of people exist—no doubt about that—but generalizing like this when you aren't really in the loop doesn't exactly help... it just ends up being annoying for me and people like me, I guess.

And that part about anyone who isn't satisfied being able to reach out privately—that is just phenomenal! — I mean, honestly, it's such a great touch.
What if someone is technically private, but they're just working under a contract with Medicare and basically depend on them for everything—like their office space and all the funding their "private" practice actually has? Whoosh! And what if the doctor works in a clinic where they get paid per patient instead of relying on those phenomenal insights you have from working in hospitals? Plus, maybe they aren't even staying at work a single minute longer than required—just a little reminder that hospitals aren't a doctor's only workplace, and I'm sure not everyone in a hospital setting has those relaxing $12,000 breaks, right? Ah. 😳

So, now that we’re all out here stirring the pot and peddling these ridiculous stories... I guess I'm not even sure who those comments should actually be directed at—maybe just into the void? 😕

I mean, do you really think doctors who are complaining would just make up funny salary numbers? I guess—maybe they wouldn't bother doing that for no reason? Why would they even do that???!!!
I guess they're just bored with life—so now they're getting union reps involved just to see what the public thinks... honestly, why didn't I think of that sooner? Silly me!
That’s a really interesting take on doctors—honestly, I love it! 🙏

Look, Red, don't get your knickers in a twist. I get that the truth can sting, but try not to eat yourself alive over it—especially when you're spinning fairy tales that anyone with half a brain could see right through.
Even though I personally think the whole capitation system is a total mess and pretty absurd, that "humiliated private practitioner" you're talking about pulls in an average of nearly 20 $0.00 a month, maybe even more. Once you subtract the gross pay needed to cover my sister's bare-minimum salary, some modest rent, negligible utility bills, and those surprisingly high costs for medical supplies and meds for a general practice clinic, plus a few other small things, that "poor soul" is still walking away with at least 10,000 to 15 $0.00 in take-home pay.
Of course, if someone owns their own space, those overheads drop even lower since they aren't paying rent.
Plus, nobody is stopping a "humiliated private doctor" from doing side work outside of what's billed to Medicare and, of course, actually charging for it.
And since you really want to nitpick my every word, here’s my honest take: my opinion of general practitioners is pretty low. Setting aside this whole financial circus, I don't think clinical expertise is exactly their strongest suit. I constantly run into the same two scenarios—either they send people rushing to the hospital for absolutely no reason, or they stubbornly stick to a treatment plan that clearly isn't working.
If you ask me, being a dentist under the PZZ is much tougher. On top of covering all their own expenses like any other doctor, they get a lower capitation rate, yet they have to constantly shell out for incredibly expensive materials, whereas a GP might only buy a few infusions, a couple of meds, some alcohol, and some gauze once in a while.

Bradley Barnes90 said:I follow you... So it seems the Secretary of Health is largely responsible for all of this then?

Casey Cook10 provided a solid answer. Essentially, the blame lies with the various administrations, the declining standard of living, and us as citizens in general—since many of us aren't exactly eager to ask, "Hey, can I just pay cash for this?" to avoid those tax contributions and health insurance premiums. Of course, there are objective factors, like being the first nation hit by a major war, and purely subjective ones too—like someone formally applying for a medical residency while secretly hoping they won't get approved, just so they can cling to their status as the "big shot" in the department.

Healthcare is becoming more expensive across the board, and providing high-quality care requires even more capital. That translates to either higher payroll deductions or a tiered system where, if you don't pay extra, you simply don't receive top-tier treatment. Attempting to reform this is an uphill battle, especially when you have a massive population of retirees who draw heavily from public funds while having very limited income.

Any significant budget cut in this sector means losing a massive chunk of the voting bloc and triggering serious social unrest. If this were an easy fix, it would have been handled already; a fully functional, efficient healthcare system would be a political goldmine in next year's elections.

Honestly, Scott Allen10, I’m surprised the medical community hasn't recruited you yet to join their unified "rebellion" in defense of the profession! For now, it seems only nimblestag31 is standing guard over the pristine reputation of her field... I just dropped by this thread briefly to remind the moderator and the company (Woman from Rijeka 2 really made an impression there) how they all teamed up a few months ago to zealously kick me off for insisting that corruption in medicine is a deeply systemic issue. At the time, I was talking about thousands of dollars—even much larger sums involving various "projects" where big names rake in massive amounts of cash, making a few thousand look like pocket change... But no, apparently I was just being conspiratorial and making things up. Because according to them, doctors only accept the occasional box of chocolates, a cup of coffee, or a bottle of wine, and anything beyond that is pure fiction...
Well, where are you all now that the newspapers are finally publishing price lists (which have been an open secret for ages) for all sorts of basic healthcare services?
To be clear, I don't believe every single doctor is like that; I am certain many operate with complete integrity, but I fail to see where this intense solidarity between the "honest" practitioners and the corrupt ones comes from. If that wall of silence didn't exist, tackling even a fraction of these problems would be significantly easier. It escapes me why the "honest" majority—if such a group exists—cannot, or perhaps chooses not to, confront the dishonest individuals within their own ranks (people whose reputations everyone is already aware of), effectively choosing to live with the stigma that those few cast upon the entire profession.

goldengull3 said:It’s an incredibly tough nut to crack when you consider how many citizens, particularly retirees, draw heavily from public funds despite having such limited income.

In my humble opinion, this really just points to the fact that our funds are poorly structured—specifically, we have a major issue with how money is redistributed.

When you think about it, today's seniors spent their entire working lives contributing to both Social Security and Medicare, and if those funds weren't managed efficiently, that certainly isn't a fault of the retirees themselves.

The system is essentially leaking resources everywhere, and a massive chunk of our budget is being flushed away simply due to sheer organizational inefficiency. A perfect example of this absurdity is that annoying administrative fee where the receipt itself probably costs more than the actual payment (those NCR blocks aren't exactly pennies!), not to mention all the wasted hours spent on the paperwork. This whole headache could easily be resolved by setting aside just $10 per month through contributions or supplemental insurance, which would actually net us more revenue since not everyone needs a doctor visit every single month.

But I digress! My main point was simply that while healthcare services naturally carry a price tag, wasting money on unnecessary overhead is what truly drives the costs up.

bluerider2 said:Basically, it just means the funds are a total mess, specifically when it comes to how the money gets redistributed.

I mean, the seniors we have today spent their entire careers contributing to both funds—social security and Medicare—so if those funds were mismanaged, that's definitely not on the retirees.

The whole system just leaks everywhere, and honestly, I guess most of the cash gets wasted because everything is so poorly organized.

The system leaks because the money doesn't actually end up where it's supposed to go. No matter how you look at Medicare, it's being flooded with billions in guaranteed taxpayer dollars, so since it’s government-run, it’s way too easy for them to dip into it for other stuff.
Plus, there's this huge burden of non-medical staff—you know, all the administrative and tech folks—who get paid out of that same pool, so a massive chunk of the budget just disappears into salaries. But I suppose that's just how they buy social peace, since they won't lay anyone off or privatize departments that could be private, mostly because all those workers would just end up unemployed immediately if they did...

@Scott Allen10/">@@Scott Allen10: I feel like primary care doctors really can't do much, especially since the system is basically designed to discourage them from even trying. And why would they? Because any cost for supplies or whatever they use on a patient comes straight OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKET!!! I mean, who in their right mind would pay out of their own pocket like that? It leads to these totally absurd situations where they'll send a patient in 31 miles stone-cold dead just to get a single stitch ($17), plus a bandage $2.25 and instrument sterilization ($50)—those prices are just rough estimates, I guess.

nimblestag31 said:And you honestly think doctors who are complaining are just making up ridiculous salary figures out of thin air? Why on earth would they bother doing that?!!!

Well, like the head of the association pointed out, they have their degrees and their passports; if they can find a way to command a higher salary using those credentials elsewhere, I suppose they should just go ahead and choose that option.
This top-tier expert apparently traveled all the way from Germany purely out of the goodness of his heart, purely for humanitarian reasons.😁

By the way, getting a degree here in America is basically free.

I’ve been catching up on all the posts here, and I couldn't help but notice the heated debate regarding doctors taking bribes...
I'm curious, though—what kind of salary do you all think would actually be high enough to satisfy specialists, like that gentleman over at the Mayo Clinic, so they aren't "forced" into accepting kickbacks? 😕

@ Scott Allen10 - those generalizations you’re making about general practitioners feel a bit misplaced here.
That arrogant "know-it-all" attitude is really just a reflection of your own background—or perhaps the lack thereof.

There are excellent family doctors out there—just as there are terrible ones in any other field, unfortunately.
It’s the same in your line of work, whatever that may be. 😉

My mother is an MD; she has her specialty, but circumstances led her to practice as a GP.

She works in a small town without a full medical team behind her.
She manages 1,300 patients, which is nearly more than the actual population of the town itself. 😂
She’s essentially on call around the clock.
In a small town like that, everyone knows everyone. 😁

$3333 She brings in about $5,000 a month.
The office space is leased from the local Community Health Center, but the overhead is endless.
Heating, electricity, and all the basics...
For instance, she ended up installing her own air conditioning unit.
When something breaks, you either pray for a miracle or fix it yourself.
And there are plenty of people like her—dedicated doctors who aren't exactly getting rich doing this.
Again, I’m saying there are bad ones too, but it’s not right to drag the whole profession through the mud.

I suppose your brilliant advice would be for a woman in her 50s, with a settled and stable life, to just pack up and move somewhere else just to chase a bigger paycheck.

Man, Scott Allen10, you’re probably just way too smart for this world. What do you think about the facts Kevin Allen10 is laying out here? I mean, he could have gone even deeper with the analysis, but there’s no point if you’re just going to tell him he’s lying anyway 🤣
.
Yeah, of course, you immediately jumped to the idea that this nurse is just being paid minimum wage. And why? Because doctors are trash, so why should they care how nurses live... well, they should, obviously. I’m sure there isn’t a single doctor out there who pays their nurses as much as possible for their profession... and hey, I’m not even speaking from firsthand experience here. But I bet you’re about to say that it's the doctor's fault for paying a nurse more when they could just pocket the cash themselves, right? 🙂
I already know my words don't mean much to you, so I don't really feel like explaining myself further. Besides, why do you claim I'm just telling fairy tales? What would I gain from that? I honestly don't get your logic 😕
. You’re basically insulting every decent, normal GP out there—or are you claiming those don't even exist? Of course they write referrals; they’re just general practitioners! Just as a reminder, general practice doesn't have its own labs, ultrasounds, X-rays, or CT scans... so, whatever your personal experience was—that's on you—but please realize that generalizing like this says a lot about you as a person. Anyway, if you aren't happy with a doctor, you can always just take your medical records and go somewhere else. Then everyone's happy
.
And as for dentists, believe me, they aren't doing too bad—and certainly not worse off than GPs. They spend money on supplies, sure, but there’s usually a clear price list right on the office door for every service, so it doesn't seem to me like they’re struggling much with what Medicare pays them... though, I guess maybe not every dentist works that way...

Justin Gray89 said:I've been reading through all the posts and noticed the whole debate about doctors taking bribes...
I'm curious—what kind of salary do you think would actually be enough to satisfy specialists like that gentleman from the Mayo Clinic, so they wouldn't feel "forced" to take kickbacks?😕

hm, honestly, for that specific guy at the Mayo Clinic, I don't think any amount of money would ever be enough to stop him from looking for bribes. I mean, he had a management contract that sounded like it was at least $30,000 a month—maybe I'm exaggerating?
Even if he were making $60,000, he'd probably still be looking for extra cash since, well, he seems to have some serious greed issues mixed with a total lack of morals and medical ethics. It's a pretty nasty combination, I guess.
If he actually had any shame, he'd be 🙈 instead of trying to get his job back... but then again, if he had any shame, he probably wouldn't have ended up in this mess in the first place... hm. 🤔

nimblestag31 said:Honestly, no salary amount would ever be enough to stop a specific gentleman over at Mayo Clinic from soliciting bribes.

I agree. However, we really need to separate the issue of compensation levels from the issue of criminal behavior.

Regarding pay scales, I believe they should be aligned with what judges earn—roughly $2333 standard practice (for a misdemeanor judge), maybe 9 to $3.25 specialists (for a county court judge), up to 15 $5.25 for top-tier specialists (for a Supreme Court justice). There are striking parallels between the judiciary and the healthcare system (for instance, how the law provides them both with specific protections), so balancing the finances of these two professions should be straightforward. If someone wants more, they can always move into private practice.

On a different note, here is an interesting tidbit:

After taking a €5,000 bribe from that Woman from Rijeka, the surgeon Ognjen Šimić was so terrified when the Police Department finally moved in to arrest him that he literally soiled himself.
That’s the unofficial word from some of the officers involved in the arrest.

bluerider2 said:Basically, it means the funds are poorly managed—specifically, there’s a massive failure in how capital is redistributed.

The reality is that today's retirees spent their entire working lives contributing to both Social Security and Medicare. If those funds were mismanaged, that isn't the fault of the retirees.

They worked during an era defined by generational solidarity, a concept that has essentially collapsed under the weight of our current retiree population. Furthermore, consider what the average salary looked like twenty years ago—maybe around $30,000 or $40,000. These people exhausted their lifetime contributions a long time ago, even accounting for standard doctor visits.

A functional healthcare system simply cannot exist without significant financial commitment from both the community and the individual.

goldengull3 - you have to keep in mind that in this country, running a private practice is basically a solo act
For instance, you’re footing the bill yourself for things like annual leave or coverage during sick leave...
And heaven forbid you face a prolonged illness. 😲

You have your own accountant (whom you pay out of pocket), and there isn't some massive corporate structure standing behind you to handle everything else while you focus on your actual job.

Finding someone willing to step in and cover you for just a few days? That's a pipe dream.
Plus, you can't just lock up the office and put a "CLOSED" sign on the door. 😁

Honestly, I think being a misdemeanor judge is a much more comfortable gig right now than being a primary care physician. 😉

Fox News just reported that Ljerka Krajnović, a former handball player, filed a complaint against Šimić.

Wait, wasn't she supposed to have identity protection? Is someone actually going to be held accountable for this breach?

goldengull3 said:Apparently, after taking a $5,000 bribe from that Woman from Rijeka who went public, Ognjen Šimić—that surgeon out of the local hospital—literally lost control of his bowels from pure terror the second the Police Department showed up to grab him.
Some cops who were actually there during the arrest supposedly let it slip to us off the record.

I mean, isn't this getting a little bit too low for comfort? 🙄

rowdylynx38 said:The news just broke that Ljerka Krajnović, that former handball player, actually filed the report against Šimić.

Wait, I thought she was supposed to have some kind of identity protection? Is anyone actually going to hold them accountable for leaking her name?

What on earth would she need identity protection for? 😕
I mean, she didn't exactly file an anonymous tip—she’ll probably show up as witness number one during the trial anyway. Plus, we aren't talking about a trial for some massive "criminal organization" where Dr. Ogi might decide to send a hitman to her house, right?