What is biggest problem facing American Medicine?

The million dollar question. Panda suggests it’s the profound lack of common sense:

The effects of this lack of common sense, trying to practice zero-defect medicine among a terrifically unhealthy, mostly non-compliant, and litigation-happy patient population are legion and spread their costs and inefficiencies throughout the system.

Comments

Cathy
Are patients REALLY mostly non-compliant and litigation happy? I think panda’s views are most likely tainted. Maybe he works in the most horrible ER in the country, but as a rule I would be very surprised to read that most patients are both of these things.
I have lived 55 years and I know a lot of people, almost all of them follow medical advise because they respect and believe in the knowledge of their medical providers. I also don’t know, and have never known even one person, who ever filed a lawsuit against a physician. So when he says “mostly”, I think the proper word is actually “rarely.”
Granted, if a physician has been sued, then their perception may be way off, and they think that out of the hundreds or thousands of patients they have treated, having one sue them could seem like “mostly.”
Anonymous
I know that all of my clients who are crippled woke up the day their lives were changed and said, “God, I hope my surgery goes horribly wrong so I can be crippled and sue my doctor for money.”
We’re all just litigation freaks out here, wanting to get rich quick in exchange for a lifetime in a wheelchair.
You docs out to start to appreciate that lay people aren’t morons. We understand that you can’t practice good medicine making $8 a visit. What we don’t understand, however, is why you continue to lap up the slop being fed to you by the industry (i.e. insurance) that has destroyed you financially.
Anonymous
anonymous,
You say the physicians are still taking slop from the insurance industry that has destoyed them. Do you have any suggestions, particularly as the average American appears to be more comfortable paying for sex than for healthcare?
Anonymous
Two points:
1: Anon 03:01: What YOU don’t understand is that “insurance” keys off medicare rates. The more medicare puts the screws to docs, the more “insurance” will. We will see where this year’s proposed medicare rates cut ends up. Though the other rate cuts have been stopped, neither has inflationary increases by docs been taken into account. The medicare rates have nothing to do with doc costs.
2: The truth is panda though entertaining is really an inexperienced doc in the beginning of his training. He likes to go on about being a PGY-3 but in reality he has done two internships (which I agree would suck). Though I agree somewhat with his post, his experience (based on his internships) probably are in a low income family practice situation and a university ER dept. Hardly, a characterization of the typical average pt population in this country (ie. middle class). I agree to a point about the lack of common sense, but in my pt population this is still by far the minority. I suspect his view may change somewhat depending where he practices when he is finished.
PS: Keven why did you change the posting to approval by moderator and disable anon posting earlier?
Panda Bear
Whoa. I am a PGY-3 as sure as anybody else who is a PGY-3 and I have always added the addendum, “EM-2.”
And, as I am a little older than most residents (a lot older) and have had a broad range of experience in the military, business, community, family, and medicine I am just as qualified to comment on the state of health care as any policy wonk or journalist, most of whom have no experience whatsoever in medical care.
As to lay people not being morons, maybe so, but most of them do not appreciate the value of medical services and do, in fact, expect more sugar than their dime entitles them to. Half the country thinks health care should be free, fer’ cryin’ out loud, which is not exactly a ringing endorsement of the theory that we can’t practice good medicine for 8 bucks a visit.

What is biggest problem facing American Medicine?

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