Preparing now to weather health care's "perfect storm"

AMA Leader Commentary. By Timothy T. Flaherty, MD Feb. 4, 2002.

AMA LEADER COMMENTARY

A few words about current events in medical practice

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A message to all physicians from Timothy T. Flaherty, MD, chair of the AMA Board of Trustees.

Remember the blockbuster movie "The Perfect Storm" from a couple of years ago? Hurricane winds of more than 100 mph. Ten-story-high ocean waves. The sea completely white from driving spray. Visibility at virtually zero. And the swordfish boat Andrea Gale struggling straight up an exploding mountain of raging water. The worst possible forces erupting all at once, ripping everything out of control, and nowhere to turn for shelter or safety.

Sound familiar? It sure should if you're fighting to keep your medical practice above water.

A powerful storm is sweeping across the health care horizon, with several fronts converging at once. Insurance premiums are soaring. Small companies are slashing medical benefits. The recession has swelled the rising tide of unemployed -- as well as the ranks of the uninsured. Hospitals are trying to cope with the cost of preparing for a biological assault -- even as state and federal funding evaporates.

Physicians are not finding any safe harbor. In fact, we stand to be among those hardest hit by the storm. In many states, our colleagues are confronting a wave of rising liability costs -- and some medical practices may well go under. Managed care abuses continue to buffet us. Regulatory burdens overburden our medical practices.

A perfect storm indeed. Among Washington, D.C., decision-makers and commentators, it has become a catchphrase, a term of art.

Too often, we physicians try to ride out rough waters alone. In the process, we miss the opportunity to shore up the ship of health care -- and protect the practice of medicine and the health of Americans. Physicians need to participate in the debates that shape our livelihoods -- and our lives. Membership in the AMA is the way to play a part. [...]