Your Doctor May Not Be Around Much Longer
"Let me be clear: if you like your doctor, you can keep him". Who hasn't heard the President make that promise by now? The problem is, it makes a huge assumption. That promise assumes that your doctor isn't going to retire as a result of healthcare reform.
The New England Journal of Medicine reports that more than 30% of physicians want to leave medical practice if the current healthcare reform plans are implemented.
In other news, nurses report that they spent 25% of their time doing "indirect patient care".
Nurses reported having to document patient care information in multiple locations, in addition to having to complete logs, checklists and other redundant paperwork that prevented them from having more time with their patients. Beyond these paperwork redundancies, nurses reported significant time being wasted trying to secure needed equipment and supplies.
When asked for solutions to these challenges, nurses recommended a combination of ancillary staff support, hospital-wide communications technology and reductions in redundant regulatory requirements.
Adding more bureaucracy, rules, and paperwork to the medical process is unlikely to make things better. Doctors may quit and nurses may quit. But, by all means, bring on the healthcare reform. If you like your doctor, the President has promised you can keep him. And the President is an honorable man.
This entry was tagged. Barack Obama Healthcare Policy Nejm Reform Regulation