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On the “Open Letter from America’s Physicians”
By Dr. David Edward Marcinko; MBA, CMP™
Publisher-in-Chief
As we have seen in this healthcare-charged election season, almost every form of political activism or debate has moved online. So, it is no surprise that a coalition of disgruntled physicians would electronically socialize and network together, as seen with www.sermo.com
About Sermo – Peer 2 Peer Doctor Network
First billed as a physician’s only online community, where 65,000 doctors around the nation exchanged the latest medical insights with each other to improve patient clinical outcomes, some portions of the Sermo community have morphed into a kind of political action committee [PAC] representing a particular flavor of zealot doctor activist.
Political Activism
And, not to miss out on a marketing opportunity, Sermo has allowed itself to be used as a vehicle for an open letter signed by physicians, decrying the state of domestic healthcare, that’s only going to get more public.
According to Mr. Matthew Arnold of Medical Marketing & Media, the letter is a physicians’ manifesto of sorts, composed by selected Sermo doctors demanding an end to intrusive insurers and overzealous regulators. To date it has garnered 5,200 signatures in the several weeks since it was posted on www.mmm-online.com
So, You Want a Revolution?
According to Arnold, “There’s a sense of revolution in this,” said Dr. Daniel Palestrant, founder and CEO of the physician social networking site, which boasts around 70,000 members. “It’s doctors coming together for the first time, voicing discontent with the representation they’ve had to date, and making it clear to the public that the quality of care is going to be suffering based on some of these outside forces.” http://www.mmm-online.com/Fed-up-Sermo-docs-draft-manifesto/article/112006
Doctors Unite
The “Open Letter from America’s Physicians,” hosted at www.doctorsunite.org blames “The insurance industry’s undue authority and oppressive control over healthcare processes,” “Excessive and misguided government regulation” and “The practice of defensive medicine in response to a harmful and costly legal environment” for America’s healthcare crisis, and vows: “We, the physicians of the United States, will no longer remain silent. We will not tolerate a healthcare system where those without medical expertise or genuine interest in our patients’ health have absolute control.”
Assessment
As almost every other form of political activism has moved online, don’t be surprised to see more websites, blogs, wikis or social e-communities like this. Of course, if the details get specific, it’s tricky to know whether the coalition of disgruntled doctors will stay together, and/or whether Sermo will emerge as representing a new breed of doctor “turned-political-pundit.”
Conclusion
And so, is political activism an appropriate initiative for the medical community; why or why not?
Might it be considered more self-serving; or more patient centric? Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.
Related Information Sources:
Practice Management: http://www.springerpub.com/prod.aspx?prod_id=23759
Physician Financial Planning: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763745790
Medical Risk Management: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763733421
Healthcare Organizations: www.HealthcareFinancials.com
Health Administration Terms: www.HealthDictionarySeries.com
Physician Advisors: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.com
Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com or Bio: www.stpub.com/pubs/authors/MARCINKO.htm
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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Health Economics, Health Insurance, Health Law & Policy, Healthcare Finance, Op-Editorials | Tagged: Add new tag, sermo |
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MD Technophobes
One can only wonder if the doctors of this peer-to-peer network, used for self-ingratiating purposes, are the same MDs who claim technophobia and refuse to enter the modern era of eMRs to the benefit of their patients. Thanks for the insightful post.
Jackson
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Hi Jackson,
You make a good point.
For example, did you know that doctors who use electronic health records [eHRs] say overwhelmingly that such records have helped improve the quality and timeliness of care? Yet, fewer than one in five of the nation’s doctors have started using such records, according to a study published online in The New England Journal of Medicine [NEJM].
Best.
Hope
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About the AMS
Move over AMA–there’s a new medical society in town. That’s the message from America’s Medical Society (AMS), a new group led by Adam F. Dorin, MD, the founder of Physicians Against Obamacare and co-founder of the National Doctors Tea Party.
http://www.fiercepracticemanagement.com/story/new-medical-society-targets-fed-physicians/2010-10-13?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
Non-AMA doctors – unite now!
Craig
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