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
    physical health
    5 Ways Playing Games Can Improve Neural and Physical Health
    September 9, 2022
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    February 16, 2022
    healthcare organization
    5 Actionable Strategies For Healthcare Organizations
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 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
    Almost Anybody Qualifies for Medicaid in Maine
    November 23, 2012
    ebola and EHR
    Ebola: Are We Relying on EHR to Tell the Story?
    October 24, 2014
    Caitlin Kelly
    How Would You Fix Healthcare? – Question and Answers.
    January 16, 2013
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Have Physicians Lost Their MoJo?
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 > Business > Hospital Administration > Have Physicians Lost Their MoJo?
BusinessHospital AdministrationMedical EthicsPolicy & Law

Have Physicians Lost Their MoJo?

Gary Levin MD
Gary Levin MD
Share
5 Min Read
physician health
SHARE

Medical decision-making is a complex process, poorly understood by non-physicians, and often judged inaccurately by non peers. 

In today’s world changes are gradually occuring which erode physician confidence, and in some cases impinge upon moral and/or ethical decisions.

Twenty years ago we rarely heard of ‘disruptive physicians’ although I am sure there were many.  At that time it was politically incorrect to point out or collar the “offensive physician”, and the ‘whistle blower’ would face further embarassment or even official reprimands.

Medical decision-making is a complex process, poorly understood by non-physicians, and often judged inaccurately by non peers. 

More Read

what are pulmonary diseases
Dr. James Murtagh Tackles Pulmonary and Other Diseases
When Can Genetic Carrier Screening Be Performed?
How Technology Can Aid Independence in Seniors Life
9 Things You Need to Know About Medicare
Interactive Medical Education With ArcheMedX

In today’s world changes are gradually occuring which erode physician confidence, and in some cases impinge upon moral and/or ethical decisions.

Twenty years ago we rarely heard of ‘disruptive physicians’ although I am sure there were many.  At that time it was politically incorrect to point out or collar the “offensive physician”, and the ‘whistle blower’ would face further embarassment or even official reprimands.

Medical trainees today are taught to be polite to handle conflict and ‘insubordination’. Certain behavior in an academic medical center may not be acceptable in the ‘real world.’

Certain enlightened academic department heads can deal effectively with their trainees. Community hospitals should have in place process on dealing with disruptive physicians to remediate disruption and also to be certain that prohibited substances, alcohol or misappropriation of prescription medications are not a factor.

physician health 

Physicians often see problems at their workplaces relating to patient quality of care, financial practices, mistreatment of staff, and other issues. But as more doctors take jobs as employees of hospitals, medical groups, and other large organizations, they increasingly face the same dilemmas as millions of other working stiffs. 

Across the country, a growing number of physicians are indeed losing their jobs — and often their hospital staff privileges — after protesting employment conditions. Such complaints may involve patient quality-of-care problems, short staffing, misallocation of funds, improper financial incentives, fraud and abuse, discrimination, overuse or withholding of medical services, or other misconduct.

When they come across actions or policies that they don’t think are right, they have to decide whether it’s worth it to speak out and get labeled as a troublemaker — or perhaps even get fired.

Physicians should communicate their concerns to their employers as professionally and objectively as possible through official channels, such as their medical staff organization or medical group, experts say. But physicians sometimes don’t take the ideal approach and risk getting labeled as disruptive personalities or troublemakers.

The employer (group) holds the upper hand and when the provider signs a contract the physician should realize that fact.

hospital administration

The AMA statement explicitly accepts that physician employment contracts may allow hospitals to strip doctors of their medical staff membership and clinical privileges at the same time they are terminated, known as a “clean sweep” clause. “If that’s accepted by the AMA, the rest of the principles protecting physicians are meaningless,” he argues. “If physicians can be fired without cause and then automatically lose their medical staff membership and its due process protection, how many will dare be a patient advocate?”

Some experts advise physicians not to sign employment agreements with such onerous provisions. But others say that physicians often have little leverage to remove them. “It’s not an equal negotiating table,” says Dr. Gatrell, who’s now working for a small urgent care practice.

healthcare culture

Attorneys who represent physicians in such cases say that doctors need to think hard before they do stand up. Massachusetts attorney Peter Noone represents Veterans Administration staff physician Anil Parikh, MD, who was fired in 2007 after he disclosed confidential patient information to members of Congress out of concern over what he viewed as poor-quality care at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Parikh won a 2011 decision by the federal Merit Systems Protection Board that reinstated him on the basis of the federal Whistleblower Protection Act.

And that reminds me what my father told me, a long time ago: ”Life is not fair.”

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Surprise – Adolescent Obesity Leads To Later Heart Disease and Diabetes

April 11, 2011

Tackling the Side Effects of Parkinson’s Treatment

April 17, 2016

Medicare Spending by Program Service Categories, 2010

April 14, 2011
Clinical Trial Marketing, Marketing Communications, Online Marketing
Business

The Importance of Clear Communications in Clinical Trial Marketing

April 15, 2014
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?