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>It is wasteful to pay him a doctor's salary to answer phones.

This is something I don't understand. I'm a medical student, and the amount of time I've seen wasted watching older physicians type notes is staggering. Just have them dictate the notes and hire a secretary. Perhaps for legal/liability reasons doctors need to write their own notes but it's just such a waste of time, and we pay a lot for it.

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>we pay a lot for it.

Do we really though? I'm assuming a doctor is a salaried position so the more busy work they get the more hours they work? Doesn't this mean their time becomes less valuable?

It really depends. Some are completely salaried positions. Some physicians are completely private so what they earn is directly tied to how much they work. Even those who are salaried often have some kind of compensation or bonus for extra work. And even if they are salaried, having physicians type notes is not making the best use of their training and time.

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