Comments on: How physician burnout worsens patient care http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/physician-burnout-worsens-patient-care.html Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:27:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: My2Centshttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/physician-burnout-worsens-patient-care.html#comment-124879 My2Cents Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:36:53 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=42302#comment-124879 I work with a lot of doctors that were initially stressed, due to the increasing demand to see more patients. Adding an ancillary like physician dispensing, will reduce this stress levels doctors experience .Doctors can strengthen their relationships with their patients & can move at their own pace. Adding additional patients to make up for lost income isn't the answer. Adding services that produce ancillary income is a very real solution for most private practices. I work with a lot of doctors that were initially stressed, due to the increasing demand to see more patients. Adding an ancillary like physician dispensing, will reduce this stress levels doctors experience .

Doctors can strengthen their relationships with their patients & can move at their own pace. Adding additional patients to make up for lost income isn’t the answer. Adding services that produce ancillary income is a very real solution for most private practices.

]]> By: Diane J Standifordhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/physician-burnout-worsens-patient-care.html#comment-124877 Diane J Standiford Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:33:55 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=42302#comment-124877 Funny, my doctor never is burned out when I visit, never overbooked, has plenty of time with me, easy as pie and a great guy. His clinic ruled to refuse all drug co. sellers. (I bet that gave him extra time) His crew is happy too. Yes, I ask. AND I can tell the miserable doctors, one common theme I note--they overbook. (And take many out of country vacations, oops, I mean speaking engagements for drug companies.) Like any job, do what you love, money will follow. Job situation bad? Work to improve it, that's what the rest of us have to do---if we love the work we do. Funny, my doctor never is burned out when I visit, never overbooked, has plenty of time with me, easy as pie and a great guy. His clinic ruled to refuse all drug co. sellers. (I bet that gave him extra time) His crew is happy too. Yes, I ask. AND I can tell the miserable doctors, one common theme I note–they overbook. (And take many out of country vacations, oops, I mean speaking engagements for drug companies.) Like any job, do what you love, money will follow. Job situation bad? Work to improve it, that’s what the rest of us have to do—if we love the work we do.

]]> By: AnnRhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/physician-burnout-worsens-patient-care.html#comment-124870 AnnR Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:29:37 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=42302#comment-124870 A good reason to withhold judgment on your Doc over any one visit. A good reason to withhold judgment on your Doc over any one visit.

]]> By: Rezmed09http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/physician-burnout-worsens-patient-care.html#comment-124557 Rezmed09 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:29:59 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=42302#comment-124557 The most common and powerful way for Primary Care to be heard on this issue is to vote with your feet. No matter, market forces will correct the problems that PCP's are faced with. Market forces will more than likely involve more mid-levels with more specialization. It is the era of Walmart, and cheaper, well trained, specialized mid-levels will replace many PCP's for the best business solution. The most common and powerful way for Primary Care to be heard on this issue is to vote with your feet. No matter, market forces will correct the problems that PCP’s are faced with. Market forces will more than likely involve more mid-levels with more specialization. It is the era of Walmart, and cheaper, well trained, specialized mid-levels will replace many PCP’s for the best business solution.

]]> By: Gary McGathhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/physician-burnout-worsens-patient-care.html#comment-124556 Gary McGath Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:09:19 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=42302#comment-124556 As one of your newer patients, I hope you don't burn out too soon. As one of your newer patients, I hope you don’t burn out too soon.

]]> By: jsmithhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/physician-burnout-worsens-patient-care.html#comment-124555 jsmith Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:52:57 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=42302#comment-124555 You're right of course, but you're preaching to the choir. The rest of society doesn't care about this issue--at least not yet. Maybe never. I precept med students, a very fun thing to do by the way (temporary anti-burnout measure). But the med students see this and can feel this issue with primary care. It's turning them off. Short term, it will be interesting to see next month's match results in primary care. Long term, I think the medical profession will hand off adult primary care to the nursing profession (pediatrics is a special case), if they'll take it. And they probably will. Except for a few dead-enders, docs will all subspecialize. The world will continue to turn, we'll still get paid. Tough to see my profession die though. You’re right of course, but you’re preaching to the choir. The rest of society doesn’t care about this issue–at least not yet. Maybe never. I precept med students, a very fun thing to do by the way (temporary anti-burnout measure). But the med students see this and can feel this issue with primary care. It’s turning them off.
Short term, it will be interesting to see next month’s match results in primary care. Long term, I think the medical profession will hand off adult primary care to the nursing profession (pediatrics is a special case), if they’ll take it. And they probably will. Except for a few dead-enders, docs will all subspecialize. The world will continue to turn, we’ll still get paid. Tough to see my profession die though.

]]> By: VoxRusticushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/physician-burnout-worsens-patient-care.html#comment-124554 VoxRusticus Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:48:18 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=42302#comment-124554 The beatings will continue until morale improves! The beatings will continue until morale improves!

]]> By: ninguemhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/physician-burnout-worsens-patient-care.html#comment-124553 ninguem Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:18:06 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=42302#comment-124553 Atlas needs to shrug. If getting burned out and overworked, then identify the biggest hassle and worst payments and cut them loose from the practice. Atlas needs to shrug. If getting burned out and overworked, then identify the biggest hassle and worst payments and cut them loose from the practice.

]]> By: Dr. Mary Johnsonhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/physician-burnout-worsens-patient-care.html#comment-124546 Dr. Mary Johnson Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:35:06 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=42302#comment-124546 And JCAHO's easy/pat solution to this (which make it much easier for the suits squeezing every last dime/bit of time out of the doctor to deflect blame), is to label every physician who is not perfect in his/her demeanor as "disruptive".No consideration is given to what comes first . . . the chicken or the egg . . . i.e. what is making doctors so unhappy?Nobody talks about staying in "the game" until their 70's anymore. Almost every doctor of my generation that I converse with these days is talking about getting out within five years. And that's amazing to me because (as opposed the medico-legal hell two clueless small-town nimrods put me through because I dared defy them to put a patient first), they've had relatively "normal" experiences.Nothing in any of the "reform" bills I've seen has addressed the real issues behind physician burn-out and dissatisfaction. If you think we've got a mess now, JUST WAIT FIVE YEARS. And JCAHO’s easy/pat solution to this (which make it much easier for the suits squeezing every last dime/bit of time out of the doctor to deflect blame), is to label every physician who is not perfect in his/her demeanor as “disruptive”.

No consideration is given to what comes first . . . the chicken or the egg . . . i.e. what is making doctors so unhappy?

Nobody talks about staying in “the game” until their 70′s anymore. Almost every doctor of my generation that I converse with these days is talking about getting out within five years. And that’s amazing to me because (as opposed the medico-legal hell two clueless small-town nimrods put me through because I dared defy them to put a patient first), they’ve had relatively “normal” experiences.

Nothing in any of the “reform” bills I’ve seen has addressed the real issues behind physician burn-out and dissatisfaction. If you think we’ve got a mess now, JUST WAIT FIVE YEARS.

]]> By: storytellerdochttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/physician-burnout-worsens-patient-care.html#comment-124542 storytellerdoc Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:34:19 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=42302#comment-124542 Your post makes sense. It seems everyone providing health care is starting to worry more and more about burnout. In the ER, especially, a couple hard, frustrating shifts can set one back for a while, both physically and mentally. More sleep, and you must take care of yourself with some outside interests. Your post makes sense. It seems everyone providing health care is starting to worry more and more about burnout. In the ER, especially, a couple hard, frustrating shifts can set one back for a while, both physically and mentally. More sleep, and you must take care of yourself with some outside interests.

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