Bert,
Although the lack of Shrinks is having the same effect on the market here, I have a half brother who lives and practices in Jon's neck of the woods, eastern Mass and RI. He almost got his head cut off a number of years ago by the state gov't for helping PTSD vet's wake and get their lives back; therefore request ever higher levels of other services. So they tried to take him out at the knees with the typical "Medicaid Fraud" garbage. In the end, they never proved a thing, but my brother was destroyed in the local papers, while no detractions were ever written when he was cleared. Furthermore, it cost him thousands of dollars in legal services to defend himself, all just lost to the cause. And he lost untold amounts of business from the whole thing. What CHITT.
So shrinks are at both sides of the spectrum here just like a number of other docs. I think in that Boston area there are just so many, that perhaps like us in primary care, they can't afford to leave the dirty insurance carriers behind. But I was just discussing the same thing here this morning with Nancy. She just did this really great family intervention, family therapy thing with this mom and her tweenage son that was just wonderful. Very Menuchin like if you know what I mean.
50 points to the first person who actually knows who Salvidor Menuchin is and what was his role in modern healthcare. No google searches now; that's cheating. We'll see just how well rounded your med school and residency rotations really were.... Hint: I was a Pysch Major.
There is another FP in our area that has gone to all psych and doesn't accept many if any insurance. The more I think about it the more I think that my wife should do it. This other guy does a lot of Kids ADD stuff.
Funny how people bitch about paying for those things that they get help with. They grow to think they should just get it on the house. But those things that are not regularly covered like psych and dental, they willingly belly up to the bar and pay for it. Especially when the CHITT hits the fan and they or a loved on really needs the help. Like when their teenage kid gets arrested or kicked out of school, or they can't stand the tooth pain. But should they pay for and apperciate the PCP that controls the cholesterol, BP and DM and keeps them around and healthier for an extra 10 years of life??? Naaaaa.
But as a husband, a father, a consumer of healthcare and as the PM and Hubby of a PCP, the question I ask is why can't we give folks decent coverage while taking reasonable care of the providers who do the hard work of caring for the patients each and every day? Why have all your societies failed all of you so, by allowing the SOB's at the for profit insurance carriers to frame all of you as the crooks, while they stay above the fray? Why has there not been a unified PR campaign by doctors to re-frame the issues here, and re-claim what is yours, including your good name and status in society? Until the majority of Americans see all of you for who and what you really are, and what kind of straights you're really in, you will never get anywhere.
The AMA doesn't even deserve the paper that their letterhead is printed on. They are years too late in reading the writing on the wall and using their limited resources for what really matters. The whole nation and the national news outlets are talking about reforming healthcare and I have yet to see one Doctor or their representives talk about any of the issues that concern any of you except for the following:
Howard Dean who no longer talks about healthcare in terms of a doctor's view point; Dr Gupta on CNN who doesn't have the nuts to use his position to actually say anything substancal about the business of healthcare and actually was beating up on Michael Moore not too long ago picking snots over minor points so as to "shoot the messenger" so as to not have to deal with the larger points he was making. For goodness sake the American Cancer Society has made healthcare for all it's only public message until the message gets thru. Why can't the Medical Societies and the AMA have that same focus, stay on message, and get the job done and get in there with their sleeves rolled up for all of you and for all of our fellow Americans?
Where is your champion??? You all certainly pay way too much in dues for these folks to get off so lightly for doing such a terrible job. They have dropped the ball and we are all the poorer for it.
Warning: the top Democratic Candidate, Senator Clinton, has learned the wrong message from her days of fighting Newt and Harry and Louise. Instead of learning that these guys are all bad news, like Robber Barrons and Carpet Baggers, she has now released a "healthcare plan" that basically leaves the present foxes in charge of the hen house. As long as BC/BS, UHC, Aetna and Cigna are some of the largest players allowed to peddle their undue influence around, nothing is going to change...at least for the better.
Personally, I'm pulling for Edwards. As much as he is a lawyer, he was a working class kid, a self made man from a mill town whose parents really did loss their jobs to the off shoring of our economy and is living with the realities of our aweful healthcare system more than most. And he freely admits that he is lucky enough in his family's dark hours to have such great care. And more importantly, he wants those monsters out of our business. But Senator Clinton has told me all I need to hear. She has taken sides with the enemy, good bye. And she is my Senator no less that I used to be sort of proud to have. Not anymore....
If all of us did nothing else but openly talk about the greedy for profit carriers for what they really are every chance we got; openly calling them the Monsters and Robber Barrons that they really are, we could be lightyears ahead. How many people do we all meet with and talk to everyday? All of them consumers of healthcare, and we all are too.
I've gotta go and get ready for a long weekend. Big In-line Tourney to officiate down in Ithica tomorrow. Have a great weekend everyone....
Good Night and Good Luck,
Paul
