Struggling with the (relative) value of humanistic medical care –

I just arrived in San Francisco. I am here for the 2014 Heart Rhythm Society sessions. The meeting begins today. A poster session this evening is overflowing with notable studies. Stay tuned. I’ll be working hard for theheart.org to bring you the best stories. First, though, here’s a little appetizer. On the eve of the biggest EP meeting of the year, my friend Wes Fisher, also an electrophysiologist and writer, posted this provocative piece, When We Reward Regulators More Than Doctors, on his blog. Wes did some investigating and learned that doctor-executives in the testing industry reap remarkable salaries. Ever the techie, Wes graphically displayed the salaries of those who regulate versus those who care for people (e.g. doctor). In a country where the notion of inequality and value are in vogue, the differences were striking. Wes is not shy. He uses the word greed, which seems strong; but he is talking about human behavior. I wrote briefly on this topic in March during the ACC meeting. Wes, however, is the leader. He has led the charge in opposing the current “board certification” process. I read his post last night and had time to think about it on a long plane trip. I’ve also thought a lot about the issue of evaluating doctors in the past months and years. Wes is surely correct to point out inequities of pay between real doctors and doctor-executives. It’s truly awful what reform has done to the humanity of health care. My family doct...
Source: Dr John M - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: blogs