But over all doctors seem happy to have their little petty fiefdoms and wait for someone else to do “something.”

I thought doctors were supposed to be smart?

It’s been all kind of feet-voting- mostly from one state to another I’d imagine, but there have been some North American tech pros who are, I guess, following in their ancestors’ footsteps just, er, in the opposite direction to European countries.

Europe seems like a mixed bag to me to say the least- no system’s perfect- but at least in a few places there seems to be somewhat less BShite compared to our own exalted Continent. Surprising, I always thought the bureaucracy in Euroland made Hell seem like a Caribbean vacation, but I guess this just shows how far down the road of hellholedom the USA has become.

The United States is rapidly becoming an extremely unwelcome place for at least some professionals- I’d imagine docs might top the list, but not the only ones. All the red tape, hyperlegal crap, higher taxes- USA has higher corporate taxes than Socialist Norway, go figure- increasingly expensive schools with lower pay and less time to start businesses, yeah it’s there.

I’d personally be afraid of the frying-pan-into-fire effect, but most of the eggheads who’ve embarked on that harrowing crossing from, uh, LaGuardia to Salzburg or so seem to be doing fine.

I guess it depends on where you wind up, but if you can snap up a gig in a medium-ish Euro city you’ve probably got it made- not too expensive, still hip enough to have a decent urban existence, easy rail access to other cities, and you can save up income that’s paid in Euros so that you can snap up that yacht you’ve always wanted in the Virgin Islands.

Or I guess that’s the cover story at least.

But the nouveau Euro-warriors seriously seem to be doing OK, and I’d agree that the Euro has a lot to do with it. That seems to be the new int’l currency measured by the fact that among other things I guess, international drug cartels demand payments in Euros more than dollars. Or something alone those lines. Having your savings in that currency is probably a nice little boost, and if you can use that dough to get more rupees and pesos and, uh, dollars when you travel, that combined with the low-cost tuition and other goodies probably attracts a goodly number of eggheads looking for the same.

At the very least, if you folks are right about the no-fault malpractice thing in Europe, that’s damn smart- eliminates the idiotic waste and pseudo-debate we have in the USA in a sec. This was that whole vaccine fund analogy people were proposing a while ago.

They’re not.

Hello All,

I am co-producing a documentary with a colleague of mine, Dr. Ryan Flesher, board certified in emergency medicine. I am a licensed Social Worker from the healthcare industry who never fully understood, until recently, the impact and impossible demands made upon our doctors.

I now straddle two worlds: a view from the patient’s side and a view from the doctor’s side. It has been both an enlightening and disheartening experience. After all that I have learned from my research for this film – clearly, it is time that we elicit compassion for our physicians.

The physicians’ view is rarely talked about. If I had not researched, interviewed or discovered what doctors are experiencing, I would never have known. The film’s producer, Dr. Flesher is discouraged by the business and politice, not the art, of medicine for a myriad of reasons, all of which we will be highlighting in our documentary. He could quietly walk away from medicine, leave it all behind. But he is not doing that. Instead, he is doing something purposeful with his experience by creating a film that will give voice to physicians on what needs to be said. This film is a first of its kind.

We have traveled extensively across the United States filming physician wellness seminars, career counselors for doctors, physicians who love medicine, others who feel beaten down by it. We have met eager med students, medical school professors, healthcare gurus, mental health experts, MD’s in their retirement and otherwise.

The common misconception is that doctors choose medicine for monetary reasons. And, yet, our research shows, and experts concur, that on a fundamental level, doctors choose medicine for altruistic reasons of wanting to help people, heal them.

Our data indicates that 60% of physicians are suffering from low morale and that medicine is a fragmented brotherhood. Where is it written that doctors must take a vow of silence when treated unfairly? Medicine is fraught with regulations and bureaucracy all in the name of achieving perfection and, yet, by virtue of the fact that we are human, how can perfection possibly be achieved? Furthermore, medicine is not black and white, but an inexact science. Perhaps most disturbing of all, why are capable, caring healthcare professionals the only ones who are handcuffed to the threat of malpractice every patient of every day?

Dr. Flesher and I have put our careers on the line for the sake of this documentary. Why? Because taking care of those whom we depend upon to take care of us is that critical. It is an aspect of the healthcare crisis that has yet to be addressed. What we know about change is that it doesn’t happen by silently wishing and wanting. Change takes action, courage.

We have a number of people participating in this documentary. As filmmakers, however, we do not rule out that maybe your story is the one that needs to be heard.

We look forward to talking with you.

Sincerely,
Nancy Pando, LICSW, Producer
Crash Cart Productions
npando@pandoassociates.com
http://www.crashcartproductions.com
781.828.8955

They are responsible for knowing and for setting it at an appropriate level. It is this very attittude and practice that digs the hole deeper. The uninsured patient or patient with traditional indemnity then finds that the only way to get a reasonable charge is to get in a restrictive insurance plan. So the doc then gripes about the problem he created.

BTW, the person in question is unisured and is unisurable because of a chronic preexisting condition. Working and producing income and able and willing to pay fair fees for care, but now another recruit for the political forces arrayed against what is left of physician independence because of a piggy $1650/hour professional fee.

I am paid by industry, so I don’t need to worry about NIH grants. On the contrary, there is tons of private and public money looking to invest in biotechnology. To be honest, I did take a slight pay cut whent I left clinical practice, but I still make a very good living: for me it was worth it.

Besides, the sheer joy of not carrying a pager is worth $$$ to me and my family.

I am not yet retired (perhaps 20 years away) but am actively pursuing other avenues of income. If any are fruitful, I will have little regret in leaving medicine.

And i AM happy generally in life, just overall not with what has become of medicine. This however, does not impact the treatment I provide my patients, and theirs & colleagues’ opinions of me personally & professionally are good, I think.

If you’re paid by industry, I’m sure your life is much better. However, if you do academic-style research in a University and are dependent for your salary on “soft money” from the NIH, your life msy be easy now, but when you can’t get a grant, and the mortgage is due, you’ll be crying in your beer.

One of the best things about medicine, is the “hard money”!

It’s not so much that organized medicine is “powerless” as it has decided not to exercise its power in ways that might avert the coming meltdown (which is pretty much already here).

The AMA and state medical societies will pay and pay dearly for failing to truly represent “the little guys” in medicine (which is most of us in primary care).

At some point people get tired of paying the expensive dues only to get a whole lot of nothing. I know I did.