Dr. Elliot is a lawyer, not a doctor. The only respect he ever needs to show is to tip an extra 5 bucks to the five and dime whore he visits on the weekends. In his career as a prostitute in the courtroom, no respect is necessary. Just the ability to earn, by any means necessary.

FYI, Dr. Elliot is not a future doctor nor does he ever debate anyone with respect. Perhaps that’s why he gets so little respect in return.

Dr Elliot, I’m disappointed in you. I didn’t think you’d give up the ambulance chaser’s ship so easily – LOL!

I kind of imagine Dr. Elliot like the older guy in my class who was a paranoid, antisocial, bizarre social misfit who just couldn’t hack it in med school. He eventually went to law school and now vents his rage by chasing ambulances for a living.

“Medical malpractice liability limits became effective in Texas on September 1, 2003 and were part of a comprehensive tort law overhaul. Since that time, there have been 15 new entrants to the medical malpractice insurance market, general rate stabilization, a 5% increase in the number of physicians overall, and increases in key physician specialties, according to the Texas Department of Insurance.”

“Since the passage of Texas HB 4, including the medical malpractice liability limits, physician ranks have increased. From May 2003 to September 2004, the total number of physicians in Texas increased by 5%, including a 62% increase in obstetricians. This compares to a 1% increase from May 2002 to May 2003, including a 13% decrease in obstetricians.”

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2004/rpt/2004-R-0918.htm

Stop right there. “Licensed” is not the same as “practicing”. I, for example, quit practice in 2001 because of the liability crisis but I have an active licence there. So the numbers you are so in love with don’t say anything about the number of physicians actually in practice, nor do they include the number of already practicing docs who having resumed vital ER work, deliver babies, etc. because of Prop 12.

http://www.tsbme.state.tx.us/demo/docs/docdemo.htm

In May 2001 there were 34,950 licensed physicians in Texas. In May, 2003 there were 38,035 licensed physicians in Texas. The difference is 3085 growth in 2 years prior to enactment of the caps. In May, 2005 there were 41,049 which is a growth of only 3014 in the two years after caps. Why does the excellent, honest, unbiased research of TAPA show a different result? They include out-of-state physicians. Well, honest researchers always have to deal with limitations of their data so maybe the information by specialty wasn’t available even though the total number was (but how did I (the mere fake doctor feel confident in making my statement unless I was simply lying?). Turns out that the data is available. When I did my research I went to the county level data which has the advantage of being able to pinpoint underserved areas. (Choose physicians by county then specialty for that info). I guess TAPA didn’t know that the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners (and the AMA) gathered the information in such detail. Unfortunately it skewed their results in a way that I think distorts the actual truth of the matter.

The first sentence of their mission statement is “The Texas Alliance for Patient Access is a coalition of doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, health care providers and medical liability insurers.” These brave seekers of the truth and justice need to know that they should refine their careful research. Will one of the brave anonymous posters here, please let them know their error. I don’t fit into any of the relevant categories so I imagine the pointing out of the error will be much better received by TAPA when it comes from a fellow traveler such as a real physcian.