Great post. And, it's great to get both perspectives. I am struggling right now not only due to medicine, but some other medical things of my own. Which don't improve with the stress of practice. The biggest thing I didn't take into account when I went from a group practice to a solo practice was that at some point I would be trapped. If I get to where I feel overwhelmed and want to be out of it, it isn't a simple thing to do.
The other issue is massaging the issues of 25 to 30 year old employees who don't listen (not all) but are hard to fire because there are only three, and the system they have come up with is quit/be terminated, walk out the door, find a lawyer on contingency who faxes one letter suing for $40,000 for hostile work place environment (which wasn't hostile five days before), drag it out for two years, then settle for $5,000. It's like a playbook. You can't go to court for five days and have lies thrown at you in front of your peers. You can't have your staff testify as of course they would.
As far as patients, mostly MaineCare. Pays well, but it is the best insurance in the world, and they are the one who are entitled, need, need, need then complain that they can't get Lunesta over trazodone calling MC pathetic. Meanwhile, I have no insurance due to issues I had nothing to do with and have to pay $7500 for a colonoscopy. YES JON YOU ARE GETTING RIPPED OFF. I wouldn't do one for less than $500.
Again, the problem for me is I don't see a way out. There is the moral and ethical issue of giving patients plenty of time to find a new doctor. And, while that time is going on, the money is going down.
Sorry, just throwing some stuff out there. Oh and everyone wants a referral. And, MaineCare: I can get five MRIs in two weeks. Literally. Try to get an MRI of any body part of a BC/BS patient and you have to clear it through Texas.
