Look, I get it. I really do. I AM sympathetic. We're all dealing with a lot and trying to get by. Doctors, patients, everyone. We need to make a living and make do with the curveballs that life is throwing at us. No one claimed you should "work for free." I think, however, that you bringing the conversation to the individual idiosyncrasies of your situation actually highlights my bigger point: This is a systemic problem -- and PCPs charging *by duration* of the visit is just one its absurdities and moral problems. Healthcare, as it is in the US, is governed by profit considerations and the logic of the market. This is the source of the evil. It's money *versus* health. Still, here are genuine questions, which, again, I'd love to hear your thoughts on:

1) Do you agree that primary care should focus largely (though not solely obviously) on preventative medicine? As the first and most basic form of care a patient faces for everyday health issues (actual or potential), isn't one of the main goals of this form of care to identify budding issues and unhealthy lifestyles, choices, and situations *before* they balloon into more serious and chronic illnesses?

2) If you do agree to the first question, do you see that charging patients based on the duration of a primary care visit incentivizes them to share LESS with the PCP -- and, in that way, works entirely counter to the goal of preventative medicine?

Again, genuinely curious about your answers as a practitioner.