Sorry Vinny,
You and our friends lost control of your profession a long time ago between the f'ing gov't (especially here in NYS) and the carriers with their managed care, HMO's and P4P. If you don't believe me if and when this nice guy Michael from some downstate law firm (yeah a lawyer who cares about doctors, works with MSSNY) comes thru your part of town you've got to hear him talk about the new office based surgery center laws that are coming. He speaks to local county medical societies on request or something. I gather he hits the Albany area as much if not more than Syracuse. Thank goodness we don't go past locals here in our office. This thing is unreal.
Now granted as always there were a few really bad cases that then lead to the gov't doing what as he put, it does best..."Over reacts", right? This is another form of they have the right to come on in and look at anything and anywhere any time they darn well please. What I really found most disturbing was that the law actually has set "standards of care" in it. So like if you did something different, like because the newest research shows that what you did should now be common standard, TOUGH CHITT, you still have to do what is in the f'ing law!!! I kid you not. So now our state legislature is practicing medicine without a license! Isn't that a crime that we should all sue them for??? How about I go out as a college grad with a BA in Pysch and just start practicing medicine, just as they do, without a license, a degree (MD or DO that is) and a ACGME approved residency. What's good for the goose, right?
I could be the next great 1 800-MD1 Tush. You think I joke. This un-licenced hack was advertising in plain site all over NYC, in the papers, on TV, and on the subways especially. He was 1 800 MD1 Tush. He butchered people with plastic surgury for years. Got caught (sort of) ran off and then opened another practice across the river in NJ for a while until someone over there got wise. Then and only then did he finally get busted for real.
But if you think that you are ever getting back control over your profession or practice in these days of Vaccine registries and CHITT certified spy portals for the the gov't and the carriers to have un-controled access to yours and your patients medical records, you are sadly mistaken. Perhaps only if you go completely off the grid...No insurance what so ever so nobody has those god awful contracts and conditions over you. Stay off the HIPAA and the Insurance carriers radar completely and you might stand half a chance.
So did you ever figure out if the patients can request to not have their children's data submitted to the registry. I certainly don't want my two kids in there. My kids doc is one of the finest and most respected docs in our area. She is awesome and I know that my kids are up to date and she can tell the school such if and when they need to know from time to time. How long until school nurses, principles and other staff will have access to this database so they can "confirm that the children are all up on their shots". And don't tell me this is not a way for the gov't to spy on each and every doc who see kids in this state. Perhaps as many of us who can should stop taking new pediatric patients, families established or not, so we don't have to comply with this stupid invassive law. Leave Bert with all the paperwork, right Bert??? There are already FP's in our area who limit kids by age or amount. Less expensive vaccines to stock that we get ripped off on anyway. Just ties up thousands of dollars of working capital that we are at risk of loosing in a power outage anyway. Let the stupid carriers put the stuff in my fridge and let them try and get it at the prices they claim.
We haven't gotten JAMA in awhile now because we haven't paid Nancy's local, state or AMA dues with the county country club. What a rip, the dues for a $10 an hour starving PCP in solo practice should be the same as some $300K and above specialist that requires referals even when the patients have PPO and other go where they want type plans so they can make a lousy extra $10-$20 bucks on the office visit because now it's a consult instead of a standard OV! What bullCHITT. We just lost just about the same amount of money doing their lousy "consult referal" so these rich disresectful SOB's can then pocket the same. Go Fish!!!
Anyway, I'm still fighting a cold and feeling pretty low. let me back-up and pack-up my friend. Thanks for all you do.
Paul
