I was the younger of two boys. As the youngest kid, it seems like I always had something to prove.
I knew what it was like to be too young, or too short, or too whatever.
I guess that’s just the way it is when you’re the youngest.
My nephew, Nolan, is the youngest in the family. In addition to being young, he’s vertically challenged.He’s in the 25th percentile for height and weight and is as cute as a button. But he doesn’t care about being cute. He’s rough and tumble.
You should see this kid.
He may be small, but he’s tough. He plays football, baseball, and wrestles with the older kids. Sometimes we go to Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm with all five boys (my kids and their cousins). The older boys pretty much ride everything. Nolan wants to, but he’s usually too short.
It breaks my heart to see that kid get denied. Uncle Dennis tries to advocate for him, but it turns out that Mickey Mouse is The Man. Who knew?
On more than one occasion I’ve sat it out on the bench with him watching as the other kids zoomed away giggling with glee.
The funny thing is that this kid never cries or complains. He just rolls with the punches.
It doesn’t matter that he can’t ride on the Matterhorn, or Space Mountain, or any of the other coasters. Sure he got shafted, but he doesn’t let that affect his attitude.
Truthfully, I’m thoroughly impressed. In fact, he kind of reminds me of the Henry Ford quote:
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”
Sometimes I wish I could do the same.
I wish I could just stoically sit by and watch as doctors lose their authority and autonomy. Wouldn’t it be better if I didn’t cry and complain? If I could just sit there on that bench with my patients and watch as the bureaucrats, administrators, insurance company executives, and malpractice attorneys gleefully whiz by.
The problem is that I don’t believe that third parties should insert themselves between patients and their doctors. I also don’t believe that mountains of mindless bureaucratic red tape add anything but chaos and inefficiency to medicine.
I believe that competent, experienced clinical judgment from a doctor beats cookbook style mandated algorithms and protocols all day everyday and twice on Sunday.
As doctors we have seen more change in the way we practice medicine in the last ten years than our predecessors saw in their entire careers.
These changes were not a consequence of our own actions. Instead, they were thrusted upon us through regulation by those who hijacked medicine and are now in control.
More changes are coming. ICD-10 starts any day now. Billing and coding is about to become more onerous and more expensive. And yet more unwelcome changes are on the horizon.
I’ve spent my entire career advocating for my patients. I’ve tried advocating for doctors too. Unfortunately, physicians are no longer driving the health care bus. We’ve been relegated to the back of the bus and those more interested in money and cost containment have drowned our voices out.
Just like Nolan, we are on the outside looking in.
Left without options, far too many of our colleagues are trapped trading time for money in a system that is no longer recognizable. Today I advocate for them.
NestEggRx is a 100% educational website designed to teach and inform physicians about the merits of commercial multifamily real estate investments. I believe that better investments are the path to an earlier retirement or simply to practicing medicine on your own terms. In this day and age, doctors need options.
With that in mind, I’d like to announce two items. The next round of live learning events will be October 23rd, 24th, and 25th in Southern California. Sign up now, as seating is limited (but not by height as the vertically challenged are more than welcome)
Additionally, I’m evaluating dates in early 2016 for events in Texas and Florida (stay tuned).
Lastly, I will be hosting a webinar on October 1st at 6:30 p.m. PST / 9:30 p.m. EST. It is entitled Introduction to Multifamily Investing for Physicians. That date is coming up soon and you’re not going to want to miss it. Sign up now at:
https://nesteggrx.com/intro-to-multifamily-investing-for-physicians
P.S. Doctors are mired in a sea of red tape and regulations like never before. Our loss of autonomy coupled with declining reimbursements has made medicine challenging to say the least. Please advocate for your colleagues by sharing this post and these links with them.
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