In the past few years, the small rural community where I practice has seen five primary care physicians close their practice. This phenomenon is not an anomaly.Why do doctors close their practices? There are many reasons. Doctors can be broken down into demographics like everyone else.Baby BoomersMost of my boomer patients are not retiring right now. In fact, they are financially hurting and looking for work, or for a second ...
Patrick W. Hisel, MD
Is healthcare is a right? A balanced opinion
Chris Mathews had Ron Paul on his show, Hardball, earlier this year to discuss Social Security and the new health care bill.Mr. Mathews pointed out that people get old and no longer have an adequate income source to take care of their basic needs, and pointed to this as a reason to force working Americans to save for our retirement through a government program as a sort of ...
Assumptions in medicine can inhibit care
Assumptions are ubiquitous. Neither patients nor physicians are exempt. Sometimes they are justified, other times entirely misguided.Webster’s defines "assume" as "to take as granted or true." The cliché’s have probably always existed: Doctors are greedy and paid too much, and are uncaring. Some patients believe doctors do care and that their doctor actually likes them. That’s an assumption too. Some assumptions are newer. Patients assume doctors will substitute their prescription ...
