Healthcare Persecution

“Things get worse for you only when you try to accommodate your persecutors”

This is a quote from a book I just finished, “The Charm School” by Nelson Demille.

Definition of persecution: Persecution is persistent mistreatment of an individual/group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms.

How does this relate to healthcare and the transition of my practice?

I will call it Healthcare persecution.

And it depends on who are your persecutors and what type of system you are working. I have heard some physicians complain and complain again about how patients are overly demanding and aggressive about their care. They want everything and they want it immediately. These physicians appear to consider patients as their persecutors.

Insurers have persecuted physicians by making managed care contracts more and more one-sided. No one is forcing physicians to sign these contracts. Yet, physicians over the past twenty years have persecuted themselves and their patients by continuing to participate with these managed care organizations.

A result has been that physicians gave up control of healthcare decisions without even blinking. Can anyone order a MRI without prior approval? Try to get a new pharmaceutical covered. Are we truly making decisions or just asking “Mommy May I?” Are our medical decisions being tainted by trying to avoid the managed care bureaucracy? Do you avoid ordering tests or medications that need managed care prior approval? Is that the type of care you went to medical school to learn? Is that the type of healthcare system you enjoy working in?

Our patients no longer feel that we are their advocates and that we do not have their best interests in mind. In today’s managed care environment, Can you blame them? Our patient’s want our help and want it unconditionally. They want the trust back in the doctor-patient relationship. But until we give up delegating healthcare decisions to insurers, we will not get the trust back.

Why did I stop participating with insurers?

“Things get worse for you only when you try to accommodate your persecutors”