I agree it's a good topic. And, I agree a lot of the blame is on the doctors. But, doctors' lives and work are so hectic (all over the place) compared to the attorneys sitting behind their mahogany desks worrying only about billing every ten minutes. I don't think a lawyer can get disbarred for not taking cases.
If I decided to not see patients that came in because I didn't think they had a high enough acuity level or just at all, the board would be all over me. Not sure how the bar works, but the Board of Licensure in Maine is vicious. They live for suspending and removing licenses. Even if a patient reports you to the board for putting one too many signs on your window or having paper on the floor, the board "must investigate." They have no authority to call something a frivolous complaint.
This is why I have always thought, "What if every doctor stopped seeing Medicaid for 30 days? Well, we would receive a letter stating that if we went another five days, our license would be revoked. Even if it were suspended that would be the same for me. No coverage.
Our fight should be with the insurance companies. They are the real problem.
