21

The doctors are shrugging

Posted by $ rockymountainpirate 7 years, 11 months ago to The Gulch: General
45 comments | Share | Best of... | Flag

Atlas Shrugged is now non-fiction. I work for an Optometrist. Our office received this letter from and Ophthalmologist that we referred patients to. Only the pertinent part of the letter is posted here.

Dear Friends and Colleagues:
It has been a privilege working with all of you through the XXX for the last 13 years. I have made a major career decision, and I have decided to stop practicing medicine in the current U.S. healthcare system. Many of you have heard this from me directly, whereas others are getting the news for the first time. For me, the business of medicine has created too big of a wedge between the doctor-patient relationship to maintain happiness and job satisfaction.

June 30, 2016, will be my last day at the XXX...........

All Comments

  • Posted by $ Thoritsu 7 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Exactly right! Imposing FAFE is the wrong side of the transaction to affect this change, assuming the change has any value. The only value I see in it is making oil irrelevant and thus the middle east irrelevant, which is the best way to support defense against this enemy.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by johnpe1 7 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I can see it from here! . I climb it or coast down it
    to go just about anywhere ... fun when it snows!! -- j
    .
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ sekeres 7 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    No MDVIP practice within 50 miles. One at 75 miles scheduled to open next month. Hazard of country living.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by johnpe1 7 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I hope that I make it to 82 ... we're trying, here in our
    little gulch in tennessee! -- j
    .
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 7 years, 11 months ago
    Hello RMP,
    "If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand." Milton Friedman
    Regards,
    O.A.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ Abaco 7 years, 11 months ago
    On a slightly related note...the regulatory squeeze is really on smaller investment firms. Not unusual to spend 15 hours/week just doing compliance. Talking to a guy in my office about it last night - I haven't seen a small firm open up in our region...ever. Not in 20 years here.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by johnpe1 7 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    that's where it's been headed for over 100 years,
    and they think it's wonderful. . how insane! -- j
    .
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by johnpe1 7 years, 11 months ago
    but it is not the business of medicine which has
    created "too big of a wedge" between the doctor and
    the patient. . it is the government. -- j
    .
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by Mamaemma 7 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    The patients who respect and are willing to compensate her are the only ones who deserve her care.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Comment hidden due to member score or comment score too low. View Comment
  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 7 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    For those folks there is plenty of room down here in Free North America. RVs or boats as full time housing are quite welcome. HUD can go stuff itself up a sewer pipe.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by term2 7 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Medicaid in Las Vegas gets you really terrible care. The whole system in Vegas is pretty bad. I have an MDVIP family doc here, but I go to mayo in Phoenix for anything serious
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by term2 7 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Mayo in Phoenix is a great place. I drive from Vegas to get looked after there
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by term2 7 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Maybe the good specialists will move to Mexico or just withdraw from taking insurance here
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by term2 7 years, 11 months ago in reply to this comment.
    My family dr joined mdvip also, instead of just shrugging totally. It's just a sham really to get around the limits on what he can charge. So I buy a membership to get access to him for 1500 a year. He gets to collect the 30 bucks per visit from Medicare and spreads about 1k over the maybe 6 times a year I see him. I get instant response by phone when I call. I am happy and he is happy. I'm sure Obama isn't happy about it, but I don't care
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by term2 7 years, 11 months ago
    I had that moment in 2007 after years of medical device control by fda. We just closed our medical device company and I vowed to stay out of medical manufacturing forever
    I suppose I shrugged in a small quiet way too.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by CBT 7 years, 11 months ago
    After 30 years of practice, ranging from military service, to big Med Center, to solo and integrative practice, my wife has recently shrugged ... sort of. She has transitioned her 3,000+patients practice of seeing "nearly all comers" to a system under MDVIP (see MDVIP.com for more info on this system) that allows only 600 patients who subscribe to a rather sophisticated annual "Executive Wellness Exam" to remain in her practice. They still use their insurance, but they now get same/next-day appts, lots of access to the doctor and staff because of the smaller patient panel, very customized and personalized health evaluations and research that has been proven to improve participants' health in peer-reviewed studies.
    I say all this because this is the kind of practice she has provided for YEARS, but without adequate compensation under the "health cost containment and crisis management" program that US healthcare has evolved into.
    Now she can practice medicine in the way she feels it SHOULD be done ... with the patient's best care in mind with patients who recognize the value of getting their best health care and in true Gulch fashion, they are willing to PAY for the service they get. No demands for their "right to health care", or expectation for discounts to get her years of experience and research effort.
    So yeah, I guess she "shrugged" as far as the 2,400 patients are concerned ... but she is salvation and hope for the 600 who respect knowledge and value.
    Reply | Permalink  

  • Comment hidden. Undo