Denise A. Somsak, MD

Insurance companies manipulate the doctor-patient relationship for financial gain

Physician

January 29, 2018

I am pediatrician who has been practicing for almost twenty years. During my career, I have been employed by two different free-standing children’s hospitals, a non-profit community-based health center, and now I own my own practice. In every setting, I have had to generate coding and billing for my work even when my salary was independent of that billing.

There is no other profession that would dutifully learn the “rules” of …

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It’s time primary care doctors diagnose autism

Denise A. Somsak, MD

Conditions

August 1, 2013

I remember how my son’s autism diagnosis was delivered. He was three years old. It wasn’t a surprise really, merely a confirmation of something that I expected and feared. He was already enrolled in speech and occupational therapy making very little progress. He saw a developmental specialist at age two and two and half who initially believed that he was not autistic but merely delayed with sensory issues. After we …

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How do you know if a second medical opinion is justified?

Denise A. Somsak, MD

Physician

December 18, 2012

A patient of mine was seeing a local specialist. The parents wondered if it would be appropriate to get another opinion. Contrary to what patients might think, most physicians are absolutely fine with this and some even encourage it. However, patients often want to know if seeking another opinion is justified. It is my job as a primary care provider to help families decide when or how to obtain that …

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In pediatrics, no visit is a wasted one

Denise A. Somsak, MD

Physician

August 10, 2012

The last patient of the day rushed to the office before closing time. When I entered the room, the dad was texting as the nurse finished recording the child’s temperature. He shook his head in disbelief and confessed that he just sent his wife this message, “I feel stupid. No fever here.”

Parents apologize to me everyday because they feel like they wasted my time and/or their co-pay. Coordinating a doctor’s …

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