Petition for Change

[DoctorChange]

Cross post from Reddit/emergencymedicine

Doctors and Patients Taking Back Healthcare From For-Profit Companies

As doctors, we went to medical school to provide great care of patients and make a difference in our communities. We served on the frontline during the pandemic and it left us with scars. Emergency physicians are the safety net, seeing anyone and everyone, 24/7, 365 days a year. We're here to save lives and hold your hand on your worst day. We don't want anyone else coming in between the patient and doctor relationship, especially not for-profit companies or private equity firms.

When American Physician Partners (APP) closes July 31, thousands of physicians will lose their malpractice insurance coverage and compensation for hours already worked. Dozens, if not more, hospitals will be in limbo. Without any input from the physicians working in the real world, these contracts were sold to the next highest bidder—US Acute Care Solutions (USACS), another for profit company. All of these companies work the same way. They undercut staffing to unsafe levels. They underpay providers. There’s unsafe supervision with inexperienced mid level providers and impossible performance metrics. When doctors speak up, they’re ignored, fired or blacklisted. These for profit companies don’t care about building relationships with patients, hospitals or their communities. If a site is no longer profitable after milking it for millions of dollars, they will just leave. This has been proven time and time again with other companies.

The buck stops here. Let’s take out private equity from the patient-doctor relationship and work together on long-term solutions like doctor-owned democratic groups. Local doctors should be in charge of their own groups and how it runs. They should be able to decide how their emergency departments are staffed and their own schedule. Doctors and patients should be the ones deciding their plan of care, not some administrator on the other side of the country.

The time to act is now. Don’t let another greedy for-profit company ruin another hospital.

Please consider signing and showing your support for our petition. We can make a difference if we unite together. Thank you.

Doctors and Patients Taking Back Healthcare From For-Profit Companies

Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?

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[BoardingDoc]

I wholeheartedly endorse your mindset, but this isn't a petition. It's a complaint letter.

A petition needs a specific call to action. A stated goal. This link simply reiterates your post which lacks that component. Yes, you say "Let’s take out private equity from the patient-doctor relationship." Awkward grammar aside, what does that mean? What specific action are you proposing? Are you proposing that the laws against the corporate practice of medicine actually be enforced? The ban of CMGs as a whole? What?

You say that doctor-owned democratic groups are a solution. USACS will argue that they are exactly that. It's bulls*** and we all know it but that doesn't change the fact that they've been getting away with saying it for years and likely will for years more.

I'd be more than happy to slap my name on a petition which had good research into any existing laws related to the practice of corporate medicine, why it's illegal, how CMGs currently skirt that law and then a demand that the laws that were designed to prevent these parasites from draining every red blooded American dry actually be enforced.

If someone puts that petition out there, lemme know.

 

[ScepticSkeksis]

We need specific protections for physicians:

1. Hospitals cannot change groups or hire a new group without the consent of a majority of working physicians
2. Minimum staffing levels, like 2 pts/hr for a physician and no more than 2 supervised midlevels at any one time.
3. Transparency in what is billed/collected under a physicians name, and mandatory reporting to each physician yearly of those numbers.

 

[bravotwozero]

I hope the Methodist docs are reading this.

Guys, please don’t be sheeple. All US ASS KISS is going to do is ruin your livelihood.

 

[scummie]

More docs need to sign this. We get a couple thousand signatures, some national attention, then Methodist and those other hospitals will listen.

Other specialties beware. EM is the canary in the goldmine. No Surprises Act hastened the demise of these PE firms. They’ll be looking for more targets. Pathology, Anesthesia, Radiology…sky is the limit.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

We need specific protections for physicians:

1. Hospitals cannot change groups or hire a new group without the consent of a majority of working physicians
2. Minimum staffing levels, like 2 pts/hr for a physician and no more than 2 supervised midlevels at any one time.
3. Transparency in what is billed/collected under a physicians name, and mandatory reporting to each physician yearly of those numbers.

1. I really have to think about the downstream effects of this.
2. That's too many pph if there is much significant pathology and too many to supervise. At least in my area.

 

[Brigade4Radiant]

It should be 1.5 pph lets be real we already have to deal with calls from EMS, doctors, nurses asking us for stuff. Anything above will be at an added rate.

 

[skougess]

It should be 1.5 pph lets be real we already have to deal with call from EMS, doctors, nurses asking us for stuff. Anything above will be at an added rate.

With midlevels skimming off the easy dispos, the days I see 1.5 PPH are the ones I feel like I worked my butt off but was manageable. We’ve just been conditioned to think that was a “slow” day.

 

[scummie]

Let’s not forget all the mid level charts for patients I never staffed but still have to sign the attestation for 100% liability and a fraction of the RVUs. Now I’m above 1.5 PPH.

 

[Rendar5]

1.5pph was busy for me as a resident but honestly that really is a slow shift as an experienced attending. 2pph I can consider like I’m working most of the day but not killing myself unless all the patients are pains in the butt.

With midlevels skimming off the easy dispos, the days I see 1.5 PPH are the ones I feel like I worked my butt off but was manageable. We’ve just been conditioned to think that was a “slow” day.

 

[GonnaBeADoc2222]

Cross post from Reddit/emergencymedicine

Doctors and Patients Taking Back Healthcare From For-Profit Companies

As doctors, we went to medical school to provide great care of patients and make a difference in our communities. We served on the frontline during the pandemic and it left us with scars. Emergency physicians are the safety net, seeing anyone and everyone, 24/7, 365 days a year. We're here to save lives and hold your hand on your worst day. We don't want anyone else coming in between the patient and doctor relationship, especially not for-profit companies or private equity firms.

When American Physician Partners (APP) closes July 31, thousands of physicians will lose their malpractice insurance coverage and compensation for hours already worked. Dozens, if not more, hospitals will be in limbo. Without any input from the physicians working in the real world, these contracts were sold to the next highest bidder—US Acute Care Solutions (USACS), another for profit company. All of these companies work the same way. They undercut staffing to unsafe levels. They underpay providers. There’s unsafe supervision with inexperienced mid level providers and impossible performance metrics. When doctors speak up, they’re ignored, fired or blacklisted. These for profit companies don’t care about building relationships with patients, hospitals or their communities. If a site is no longer profitable after milking it for millions of dollars, they will just leave. This has been proven time and time again with other companies.

The buck stops here. Let’s take out private equity from the patient-doctor relationship and work together on long-term solutions like doctor-owned democratic groups. Local doctors should be in charge of their own groups and how it runs. They should be able to decide how their emergency departments are staffed and their own schedule. Doctors and patients should be the ones deciding their plan of care, not some administrator on the other side of the country.

The time to act is now. Don’t let another greedy for-profit company ruin another hospital.

Please consider signing and showing your support for our petition. We can make a difference if we unite together. Thank you.

Doctors and Patients Taking Back Healthcare From For-Profit Companies

Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?

chng.it

Cute lol.

Unless you're willing to collectively walk out and go without a paycheck for a couple months, this means nothing.

 

[skougess]

As was previously stated in another thread. PPH is almost a useless metric. Every facility has patient population is a whole different beast. At one facility 1.5/hr might be painful. At another 3/hr might be cake.