There was an interesting story by Jean Fisher in the Raleigh N&O today. It seems US Department of Health and Human Services (hereafter USDHHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt visited North Carolina . . . meeting with the Big Dawgs (excuse, me Board) of the North Carolina Medical Society.
Quoting the article:
The nation's top health care official today urged North Carolina physicians to do their part in building a health care system that provides patients with more and better information about the quality and cost of their medical care.
"The problem today is that nobody knows," U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt said. "People have no way of knowing if they're getting good quality or value."
The article descirbes the N.C. Medical Society (NCMS), as "a physician professional group that represents more than 11,000 doctors in the state" .
I daresay many North Carolina doctors would take exception with the notion that they are "represented" by the NCMS. Indeed the NCMS and NCPS and AMA have all made it clear that they do not "do" individual advocacy. They are purely political organizations.
OBTW, I've written Secretary Leavitt about my own experience with "quality of care" issues. And I got sued for writing his predecessor.
Two words come to mind: LEFT ^&%#* SWINGING! (hummmmmmm, that may be three words).
Going on with the N&O article, "President Bush issued an executive order in August directing federal agencies that administer or support government health insurance programs to provide consumers with more complete and open information about health care cost and quality."
Given my experience as a USDHHS physician peon in the National Health Service Corps, this makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over.
This brings me to a story I've been meaning to tell for quite a while. This past spring the NC Medical Society hosted a series of "public forums" all over the state . . . on the premise that the leadership wanted to hear from doctors . . . not just members, but all doctors.
I am no longer a member . . . for reasons which have been discussed before.
I was working in Eastern NC and attended one of the meetings . . . in Wilmington at (of course) the Country Club. A meal was served. There was an open bar. Several (local) politicians were there.
I did not eat the meal (I'm not a member). I didn't drink their booze either. I got a glass of iced tea and waited an hour for the presentation to start. I noticed several NCMS staffers sneaking worried looks my way. Robert Seligson, NCMS Big Cheese (excuse me, CEO) did the introductions of the politicians. He made a few remarks . . . the usual stuff about physicians uniting for the common good and all that. One of the big issues is tort reform.
It's been my argument for a while now that we are not going to be able to do anything about tort reform until we convince the public we do a decent job of policing our own. We don't so we won't. Nobody's listening.
I was astonished when I realized that one of the politicians who took the mike was absolutely drunk as a skunk . . . slurring his words and on the point of a crying jag when he spoke about the need for doctors to get behind their local politicians if they wanted something done (translation: please send money).
I wasn't the only doctor who noticed. I could not believe the NCMS leadership had put this guy on the podium! A spark would've set the whole place on fire.
The mike was opened to the floor, and I was plesantly surprised when several physicians took to it like dogs on a bone . . . and chewed the leadership a new one about the things it had not done to represent the little guys on the front lines. I listened to a few of the docs tell their stories. One of them really hammered the leadership for not doing a better job of informing physicians about what was going on in the political arena . . . and for not helping us network.
Then I raised my own hand.
Let's just say the room got educated. I noted that Mr. Seligson was in the back of the room watching the show with great bemusement.
Within a few minutes of giving up the mike, I turned around to find myself face-to-face with Charles Willson, President of the NCMS and a Pediatrician. He's a professor at ECU. He nervously shook my hand and told me how "happy" he was I had taken the time to come to the meeting. I was taken aback - as he had obviously walked all the way across the room to get to me - and fairly obviously wanted to be seen shaking my hand. It reeked of hypocrisy.
Doctors were asked to fill out information cards for the NCMS . . . and express any concerns to the leadership. The form said that if we desired, the NCMS would contact us to discuss those concerns. I turned in the card. I asked to speak to someone about my case (perjury/contempt/fraud) against Randolph Hospital administrators.
It's always been my belief that if just one or two of these doctor-bashing cases (like mine) were properly investigated and prosecuted, it would nip a lot of bad behavior in the bud.
No one has called. I'm the bastard stepchild of public service . . . and no one in the NCMS leadership wants this story out of the closet. It might affect support/funding for the NCMS's own physician indentured servitude program.
I left the meeting in Wilmington early (it was getting late and a long drive home). I am informed there were several doctors who wanted to talk to me about what I had said. God knows they would not hear stories like mine from the leadership.
Before I left my last locums assignment, I was asked to speak to the four or five "newbies" coming in (one or two of them were doing a service obligation) about the practical realities of practicing Pediatrics in podunk. It was a good meeting, and I hope that I was able to impart some wisdom that would save them time and trouble.
The day I left for good, the newbies were all invited to "lunch" with Dr. Willson (who came down to indcotrinate them). I was not invited.
As an aside, I got a mass e-mail yesterday from Steve Shore (the Executive Director for the NC Pediatric Society) . Apparently, he has caught some flack for the society not sharing its e-mail list with members so doctors can network better.
Here's the excerpt: "On another web-related matter, it is the policy of the NCPS that we do NOT make our membership email list available to ANYONE - commercial or otherwise, period. Our mailing list is made available by written request only to our teaching institutions, state government partners in child health and certain non-profit organizations with whom the NCPS is directly engaged for the purpose of providing information about education/training events or that is pediatric practice related. The Executive Committee addresses this matter on a regular basis due to the number of requests that we receive and if anyone has comments or questions, please feel free to write to me. STEVE"
I wrote back, "So a Pediatrician getting stomped in public service is not "pediatric practice related"?
The membership only knows what you tell them. And you/the NCMS/the Medical Board are NOT telling them what is really going on out there: http://drjshousecalls.blogspot.com/2006/09/publications-closer-to-home.html#links"
Being "represented" by the North Carolina Medical & Pediatrics Societies is kind of like living in Asheboro and reading the Courier/N&R.
Leavitt told the NCMS Board that change would come slowly: "If you're looking at tasks, this is the equivalent of going to the moon, and going to the moon didn't happen overnight".
No kidding. It helps when you listen to the astronauts.
Fly me to the moon . . .
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