By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Doctors Opting Out
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health Reform > Doctors Opting Out
Health Reform

Doctors Opting Out

JohnCGoodman
Last updated: May 25, 2011 4:14 pm
JohnCGoodman
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

While the Washington bureaucracy and all its minions scramble around trying to craft just the right regulations that will magically make doctors and hospitals coordinate care, make primary care medicine more attractive as a profession, and improve access for millions of new patients, all at the same time, there is a hearty band of physicians who have solved these problems — at no cost to the government.

While the Washington bureaucracy and all its minions scramble around trying to craft just the right regulations that will magically make doctors and hospitals coordinate care, make primary care medicine more attractive as a profession, and improve access for millions of new patients, all at the same time, there is a hearty band of physicians who have solved these problems — at no cost to the government.

Not only are these physicians hearty, they are also happy. They have fallen in love again with the practice of medicine. They are happy to do primary care — the orphaned step-child of American medicine.

Their patients are happy, too. They have doctors who know them inside and out. They don’t have to feel guilty about contacting their own doctor at any time of day (or night.) And they have someone who will advocate for them if they need to be hospitalized.

More Read

Don’t Kick a Unicorn When it’s Down
Paying for Care
Does the Doctor Need a Boss?
Immigrant Lobby in Vermont Quick to Deride Single-Payer Bill
Cut Medicaid?

A couple of recent articles highlight this important trend. Jim Doyle reports in St. Louis Today:

Fed up with managed care and yearning to spend more time with patients, a small group of physicians in the St. Louis area are focusing their practices on personalized care — and shunning payments from insurers and the government.

And in San Diego, R.J. Ignelzi reports:

In 2005, (Dr. Martin Schulman) jumped off the traditional primary care treadmill and started Encinitas Personal Healthcare, a so-called concierge medical practice. Instead of the usual 2,500-patient load, Schulman now has just 250 patients. Hurried 10- or 15-minute appointments now stretch to one or two hours. And, patients can call, text or email him 24/7.

These are just two examples of thousands of physicians around the nation who have grown weary of government and insurance companies trying to control the practice of medicine. They are returning to the time-honored tradition of doctors and patients working out mutually agreeable arrangements for the very best of patient care.

They are making a mockery of Washington’s efforts to invent “accountable care organizations” and “medical homes” through “pay-for-performance” and “value based purchasing” incentives. They are solving the “primary care shortage” by making primary care attractive again. And they are “coordinating care” by having personal physicians go to bat for their patients.

They are putting the “care” back into “health care” by having one doctor (not a committee) take care of one patient (not the entire population.) These doctors know that “population health” is best achieved one patient at a time.

Once the current “health care system” collapses like the house of cards it has become, there will still be individual patients seeking and willing to pay for the services of individual doctors.

These physicians are simply showing the way — with no help from federal grants, bureaucrats, or insurance company administrators getting in the way.

   

TAGGED:health care reformprimary care physicians
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

Spreading the Health Care Cost Pain to the Elderly

March 29, 2011

Interview With Giovanna Marsico, on Patients and Digital Tools #doctors20

May 26, 2015

Call to Action: America’s Health Rankings Senior Report

May 20, 2015
Health ReformMedical InnovationsTechnologyWellness

A New Kind of Stress Test

May 26, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?