05/28/2026
One of my patients, Sr. Miguel, gave me this story.
A few weeks ago, he was just finished with his day from work in construction. He got into his truck and a bat was there and it bit him and flew away.
When he went to the hospital and presented for care, he was told he needed to have 5 doses of rabies vaccine and it will cost him $2000 per dose - $10,000 total.
He sent me message and asked if I could help him find a more affordable option.
In the past, because most physicians are so separated from the financial aspect of their practice, I would have made the assumption that rabies vaccines will be so expensive and very difficult to get. I assumed only large hospitals would have enough money and the storage capacity. This time, I decided to go against that assumption and look up what it would take to get rabies vaccine for my patient.
It turns out that I just needed to order the vaccine from one of my suppliers for around $500 per dose. I already have the vaccine refrigerator that can store it at its usual temperature and my patient can easily schedule an appointment with me and I gave him the intramuscular injection of the vaccine like I have always done and he was all set.
This story is an example of how the medical profession has been mutilated because of how medical services are being paid and collected. Just getting a much-needed vaccine is marked up by thousands of dollars to compensate the many middlemen of a multi-million/billion dollar industry. Because physicians have been made to rely upon large corporations and people who know nothing about the practice of medicine to manage the business of medicine.
I can personally attest that this has eroded the ability of how physicians can be present and be helpful to their patients. I am extremely thankful that in stepping out on my own and opening Lupine Family Medicine over 3 years ago, I am able to reclaim my profession and truly help my patients in a way that is honest and useful.
~written by a very human physician - Angela Hendrick, MD
