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Subscribe to RSSAt 87 years old, Dr. Russell Dohner is a country doctor from a bygone era: He has delivered thousands of babies and charges just $5 a visit. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.
By Kevin Tibbles, NBC News correspondent
RUSHVILLE, Illinois -- For more than half a century in the rural town of Rushville, Ill., the doctor has been in.
Dr. Russell Dohner, at 87 years old, still serves this community of 3,192 people about a four-hour drive southwest of Chicago.
In fact, folks here say he’s likely assisted in the births of more babies than there are people in living Rushville.
“They consider me an old country doctor; and there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Dohner as we sat in the back of his storefront clinic on the main square in town.
The good doctor first opened his doors here in 1955 and he has been treating anyone and everyone who’s come through the front door ever since.
There’s still an old rotary phone on the desk where his longtime nurse Rose greets those who come to sit in the waiting room with its faded Rockwell prints and Christmas cards from patients past.
“I come here every day for a while,” Dohner said. “Even on Sundays I come here before I go to church.”
“Seven days a week?” I asked.
“Yes, I always come here,” he replied.
Both Dohner and Rose do admit, however, they’re not too happy about church services being moved ahead to 9:30 a.m. as it cuts down on his clinic time.
In a high-tech world of machines and gizmos a visit to Dohner’s office is a slice of nostalgia. Patient records are still kept on little cards which, in turn, are kept in a dozen or so filing cabinets along the wall.
Along with the rotary phone there’s also an old electric typewriter. No cell phone. No fax.
If the people of Rushville need him, they’ll know where to find him. On Tuesdays, for example, he’ll be at his Rotary Club meeting.
“Where is your computer?” I inquired.
“Far, far away,” came the reply. “Never had one.”
We both laugh.
There is something else a little old fashioned about the way medicine is practiced here: the fee.
Dohner charges just $5 a visit. That’s it.
He admits he raised the price from the original $2 a few years ago and says he sees no reason to change it again.
“I always felt it was alright to just charge $5.”
He adds it comes in helpful to the many people in town who may not have insurance.
Sometimes those who are unable to pay his fee have arrived with fresh baked cookies.
“He just wants to help people and be here in case they need him,” said Lynn Stambaugh, the administrator at the local hospital. And she should know, as Dohner delivered her and all her siblings as well.
And should you ever have a medical emergency, the doctor is prepared for that as well.
“Just come around the back door,” he said.
It may only cost $5 but in this town, surrounded this time of year by chest-high fields of corn, it is worth so much more.
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I would feel safe and comfortable with this beloved doctor who will see you now for $5 because with
some doctors IF you pay them big money they will find something wrong with you, which is
unfortunate. , so it would be smart to ask upfront what his fee is. Have a nice afternoon all!!!
If you are on Medicare, they may never tell you what they charge since the moment they have your information, charges to the government will be added that you would not have been charged yourself .Why ? because, had you known you would have refused these extra useless diagnostic or documentation billings. You nevertheless pay perhaps a third of what they charge and they end up making more considering they charge both parties. If Medicare pays the full amount of their billing, they are double dipping. So much dishonesty going around. I found out my "eye " MD was charging Medicare $50 for a pic she took of my iris. She was not charging me for that but she had no problem charging the feds. As far as I am concerned, she had no business taking a pic of my iris but evidently she needed to pay for that fancy camera. We get ripped off everywhere we look.
Valuable info as I am on Medicare, so thanks. Also unnecessary tests may result in unnecessary
treatment which worrys me no end,. No pain, no tests!! no way!!!! Happy Fourth!!!
PS Alumette, your point that so much dishonesty goes around is true but it is also true that what
goes around come around. In this morning's Louisville Courier Journal, Dr. Charles Smith,
who must be a good doctor like the country doctor in the Blog, wrote in a great letter in the
"Reader's Forum" that hopefully we will move forward to make Medicaid work for those in
marginal financail strait (likeme) and calls for Kentuckians to be "united in our stand" on
this issue. And thanks again for your comments! Phyllis
Hmmm. As to Alumette's comment on the Eye Docs photo of the Iris, the photo maps certain indicators, which mapped over several years using a photo taken every 12 months can show degeneration. The degeneration can then be treated before permanent blindness sets in. My doc does this to map my eyes. Costs me about $100 out of pocket per year. To me reducing the risk of blindness is worth the cost. Allumete's Doc should have explained the reasons for the photo.
If all doctors were like this would we even need healthcare insurance?
well put RB.
Please, he probably never had any student loans, let alone tens of thousands or more to pay back, like today. This town is also not sue happy like the rest of the US. This town at least has morals and the ethic to do for themselves and not the federal government.
This doctor went to a school of medicine that taught doctors to care and not get rich anyhow. Yet this beloved doctor is richer than any other doctor in the USA for sure. May God Bless him always and no we don't need insurance in the USA we need the medical community to be more human like this doctor is and less greedy. Insurance companies are rip offs and there is none of them I trust. So obama care can go in the garbage where it belongs.
I have seen this kind of passion in doctors and it usually ends in burn out...While people are claiming doctors are greedy, their average salary has steadily declined while everyone elses has been going up. They go through 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school and most of the time 3-5 years of low paying residencies to make five dollars visit? They couldn't pay their loans back...people need to get real.
Not only is this man a Dr. he is true humanitarian! Wish more Doctors or other professionals did the same!
more people probably could if the whole world wasn't so sue happy. Medical community misses and ingrown toenail when you come in for an earache and people sue...After all y ou went to the doctor, he should have found it. I'm sure your mechanic gets sued when you take your car in for a tune up and a month later you blow a tire right?
If you have Medicaid in Mississippi the doctor will see you for three dollars cash! Now what it costs the federal government or the State is another question.
it all sounds great, but how does HE live? pays his electricity with fresh baked cookies? I don't get it....
likely social security. He paid off his house decades ago and spends little money so he has no real need to make some. He is really a thing of a distant past.
When doctors act like this, people act like this. Neighbors are happy to help build that addition and the mechanic who's baby he just delivered will fix up the old truck. This doc's electricity bill and property taxes are likely the only bills he has.
Thats right Dana, in fact there are many people who are swapping services to avoid paying money. Its is happening more now that the economy is so bad. Believe me, what use to be the norm like in this doctors time will become the norm again. Lets see the government try to tax that.
Well, let's see, he doesn't have cell phone bill, no 'must have' electronic sucking gadgets - computer, etc. Today, that alone is saving him thousands of dollars a year.
the world definely needs more doctors like this guy with a heart that care for people and his comunity and he probably just charge 5 bucks ,becouse his house is already pay for and his way of living is not expensive,there is nothing wrong with helping people especially if u are professonal and u are dedicated to your job,men like these i admire,and they make the diference in the world my respects for him if 5 bucks a visit is good enough for him thumbs up :)
keep doing what u do doctor and u will be blessed
He is practicing medicine for the right reason - to truly help people. Too many doctors today are in it for the status, prestige and money. If you think otherwise...how many would enter the field if it only paid $50k per year. The annual average compensation is $186,000 per year for a family physician and over $300k for specialists. Even more for major metro areas.
You do understand the monumental amount of education and time it takes to even get to a paid position? Seriously and you expect them to work for minimum wage? That isn't rich, its compensation for time spent.
I had a friend who as specialist given I worked 24 hours a week and got paid full time, and he worked 90+ hours a week, I made more money an hour than him as a nurse.
The medical profession is a thankless job anymore.
well done doc there needs to be more like you.
The report says he makes rounds at the hospital. Plus he doesn't look homeless so I doubt he does it for free. >>>>So he can save his baked cookies for something else... He's a good Man and Doctor
I think that more Doctor's need to be more like these "old country doctor's" most of them are the best around. They usually know what is going on without all the test that most people can not afford anymore. God bless is man and what he does for the community he lives in.
The best medicine is that which works. It's called LOVE and that doctor is the symbol of it.
This doctor is a holdover from a time when a doctor was part of the community. When my wife went to an ER in Phoenix the "doctor" was one of the foreign-trained "doctors" who make up 25% of doctors practicing in the U.S. This one was from India. He saw my wife for 6-7 minutes, was clearly preoccupied with something else, did absolutely nothing for the problem and then billed her $750. This thief took the concept of 'what the market will bear' to new depths. This is just one of the things that's wrong with the American healthcare system and with our lawmakers who let these ratbags come to America when there are 20-25 thousand qualified American citizens who can't find a slot in a medical school.
Got to pay for that Mercedes 6oo. and the boat, the big house, the swimming pool, the tennis court, the vacation condo, the student loans, the advertising, the club etc... that stuff is expensive.
Obviously Dr. Dohner has intrinsic motivation and is a humble man. Humans, please bless him.
Bless this doctors soul.. He is probably the only Doctor that you can really trust. He is what I would call a true healer. He isn't in it for the money, He is in it to help people. If I could hug him right now I would.
Is there a Saint place for folks like this doctor? Dr. Dohner deserves a lofty position for his ethics and economy. Someone please give this physician a place amoung the gods.
I once had an offer to go to med school. Didn't have the money and served as a Medical Service Officer for two years. Most rewarding time of my life as I was a hospital staff Officer most of the time.
I am currently in medical school, and this is EXACTLY the kind of doctor I want to be. I hope to learn a thing or three from this wonderful healer!
Wendy, Thank You!
I say that if they can afford to bring cookies, they can afford $5. People take advantage and it makes me sick...maybe I should bake him some cookies? To those of you who are considering following in his footsteps in the name of humanity, I'd have a process to verify ability to pay. you cannot keep your doors open when you cannot meet the bills. You also need to make people accountable. No, I'm not a doctor, in the field, or an advocate of right-wing philosophy on free market bull@!$%#. Just someone who has helped a lot of people and discovered that many more will take advantage of you than you would like to think.
You may not be a doctor, in the field, or an advocate of blah blah blah, but you are an idiot. Are you seriously challenging the people who bring cookies instead of $5? You have utterly missed the point of the piece. Not only that, you display a clear lack of knowledge of how some people in rural communities live. It is entirely possible to have some flour, sugar, and butter from the milk cow in the barn on hand, instead of $5 to spare in your pocket.
I am seriously challenging it and you, my friend are evidently the idiot by the very nature of your venom. I don't know what it costs to bake cookies in your little world, but in mine, it's more than $5. I also grew up in a rural community where we learned manners and how to pay our bills. You also do not used unpasteurized dairy. Even farmers buy their dairy unless they're dairy farmers with pasteurizing equiptment. Those are few and far between as they have been replaced by corporations. Wake up now, and join the world in reality.
This article reminds me of the country doctor in Grady, South Carolina portrayed in the film title Dr. Hollywood.
My hat is off to the Doctor. However, as a practicing physician, who racked up the usual amount of debt and had a few kids to raise, few of us could do this and not end up homeless.
Ever think that Washington and the Corporations set the price for healthcare? It's another way we are being fleeced by the 1%.
Google "ALEC – American Legislative Exchange Council", for a little eye opener on how our legislators are bought by the Corporations, and how the laws that determine, or at least highly influence, the prices of many things are passed in Congress.
Chances are that the foreign Doctor cited above worked for an exploitive Corporation who pocketed most of the $750 mentioned. The Doctor is just happy to be in this country, and doesn't want to rock the boat.
How can Doctors lower the cost of Healthcare when medications and almost everything else we have to use cost a fortune?
Dr. Dohner may be smarter than the rest of us, sticking to low tech medicine. About the only way to avoid paying exhorbitant prices for everything is to simply not use them.
However, those of us who operate or do a lot of other stuff are stuck using all the high tech whether we want to or not. A lot of us could take care of 95%+ of our patients without any high tech, and have results as good as we do now, but you'd be nuts from a malpractice standpoint to do that.
Ever notice that the arguments in Washington are all about who pays for healthcare and who gets the money, and almost nothing else? There really aren't any serious discussions going on about how to make good healthcare cheaper. Believe me, I've talked to enough Congressional offices to know that you can't explain what happens on the basis of logic and common sense. I think the readers know what has to be added to the equation to make sense out of what goes on in Washington, and it has nothing to do with science or ethics.
Dr. Dohner is in a wonderful position as he enters his "Sunset" years.
Many physicians would like to practice like Dr. Dohner, but it is impossible for the average physician unless we took a monastic vow and got rid of our wives, kids, and property.
It use to be, that to get into medical school, you had to be at the top of the class, and make in the top25% on the entrance exam. Then you worked you A_— off in medical school, and possible 2-5 years in residencies were you spent 100+ hours every week.
Now with the "diversity " act, you have people admitted who not only are not in the top 25%, but some have GPA as low as 2.7 and the bottom 25% of their entrance exam. Plus, we have so many people from other countries that are admitted secondary to their countrymen being on the entrance committee and head or semi heads of the dept, that they do not speak English as their primary language. What are we doing? We need to wake up.
I saw another on-line article concerning this good doctor a week or so ago, and it said he made his money (i.e. living expenses) from his farm. It didn't go into detail, but it appeared that his income was derived from other sources, rather than his medical practice.
he is a super great human,but if for some reason people take advantage of his real heart its ok,he is fine and believe it he's gonna go straight to heaven.......
So you say the medical profession is way overpriced and I agreee to the kudos for this doctor. It is a wonderful thing that he does. It also sounds like you will only recieve basic services as he does not sound like he has invested in any of the newer equipment that has come out over the years. There is a great need for these types of docs to take care of the minor illnesses and things that people get. Obviously if yo have something such as a heart attack, cancer, stroke or anything major you will need to go to the 'pricey' docs and have tests done with some of that high priced (overpriced in my book) medical equipment. I know I sure would. Fact is if you add the word "medical" to anything it will probably triple the price of it...probably for all the extensive testing to assure that it is safe for humans. What I am also wondering is all the people here that are praising this Doc, and rightfully so, How many of you are electricians, mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, bakers, babysitters, lawn care specialists, etc etc and would be willing to drop your prices to $5 a visit. So please do not slam the Docs who dont see you for that price when you not only want your full pay but want a raise every year also and more benefits. I am willing to bet his long time nurse probably doesn't get the perks most of you get either and she is probably as dedicated as he is. Shall we all look inside ourselves before condeming others? Congrats doc for being so economical in your practice that you can do this and help hundreds of ppl in Illinois and even at your age it sounds like you work seven days a week...that alone is amazing and probably keeping you young!! maybe I will get to shake your hand someday. For you slammers...shame on you!
This doctor is making a point that we could all learn from. This is a cute story but how does he pay for his malpractice insurance? Does he meet the state of Illinois criteria for patient protection? I say this in fear of him being closed down. This is a wonderful way to run his business but if he only charges $5 per visit he can only make so much money per day. Lets say he sees 25 patients per day and thats a lot, he would be making $125 per day, $875 per week and $45,500 per year. Thats 7 days a week 25 patients every day all year long. Maybe he is wealthy and doesn't need the money? Whatever the case, this man is an ANGEL and should be cherished.