You boomers and gen-X pillow stuffers ruined everything. If we were in charge, we would treat our patients like family, we would refuse to commit fraud. You ruined the specialty, hope you're happy.
You're not going to like my reply (which may be off base, but suspect if it is probably not by much)...
...but on the slight chance it affects positive change: YOU are the one who needs to make change.
I got an early idea of the scope and depth of our enemy's plans shortly into attendinghood when a high-functioning SDG I did shifts at got bought out by PE/CMG. I was one of many docs who had no say in the decision (and got 0 dollars as part of the deal). CMG overlords then burned the site to the ground in less than a year. They lost so many docs in such a short time they had to call in the CMG strike team mid-month...and then some of those docs refused to work at the site saying it was the worst they'd ever seen. I told them working conditions were no longer safe and demanded they increase staffing (which they'd cut it by 50%) or I'd leave. They refused, inferred I was too sensitive, and instead they tried to give me a big "loyalty" bonus to stay.
It was at that point I realized the wall we were up against. The pool of dollars behind PE is deep and vast. If a) the hospital C-suite is on your side and/or b) you have a group of like-minded colleagues wanting to form an SDG you can weather the storm against PE as their product is inferior and not designed to last.
But if you don't have a or b than you're basically screaming into an abyss...
So, assuming you're in a situation that's at all similar...what's the moral to the story?
You can choose to brood and rage and reside in a place unlikely to improve your situation--or YOU NEED to be the one to change.
Change to make YOUR life better.
Move to a different state to work for a better group, transition to a clinical field outside the ER, do non-clinical work, etc...all of these things will do two things at once--1) make your life better and 2) make the CMGs situation worse by thinning the pool of EM docs willing to work for them and in doing so putting them on the ropes to improve conditions/pay more.
Along the way, join AAEM or other groups to speak out against PE in medicine if you like; it's a worthy cause.
Or if you have hard-evidence of CMG wrongdoing and want to go the distance, lawyer up and go to war.
I made some of the above change and I thank my lucky stars every day I did...and it ended up making my life and that ER better in the end.
Goodluck with your decisions.
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