Proud to be Chiropractic

Several interesting articles appear in today’s news that show some insight into the current state of medicine. How do these articles reflect on the practice of chiropractic? Let’s take a look.

Yahoo news reported that “HMO Docs Less Satisfied with Jobs” while YourHealthDaily reported that “Some Nurses, Unhappy Professionally, Talk Revolt.”

Also in today’s news, the Los Angeles Times reported that “UCLA Medical Center’s Income Drops $50 Million”

Sounds like a lot of negativity and that cannot be a good thing for anybody’s health.

In the article, “HMO Docs Less Satisfied with Jobs,” a research survey has shown that “physicians who work for health maintenance organizations (HMOs) tend to be less happy with their jobs than other doctors.”

According to the article, there was a “less global satisfaction and a significantly higher intent to leave the practice within 2 years when compared with physicians in many other practice settings.”

If a doctor is continually focused on leaving their office, what kind of care would that result in? Is that the kind of doctor you would want to see?

Imagine the kind of care you would render if you were continuously under the pressures of working for an HMO. What kind of focus would you have on caring for your patients and how would your patients health be affected?

What is it that non-HMO dependent chiropractors have? For one, FREEDOM! Add to that passion, commitment, and a absolute desire to serve. Ever see an HMO doctor working in a Hawaiian shirt? How about one that works less than 30 hours and is being paid primarily in cash?

Then we have the nurses, the article reads “Some Nurses, Unhappy Professionally, Talk Revolt.”

Apparently, nurses are unhappy with “deteriorating working conditions” and plan to get a little bit more radical. In the words of one nursing organization, the nursing profession is “in chaos and facing extinction.”

In the words of a nurse quoted in the same article, “we need a revolution in health care.” Aah, music to a chiropractors ears. (that’s chiropracTOR as apposed to chiropracTOID)

Want a revolution? Take a look at the former nurses who are now chiropractors and carry the torch for chiropractic. There are many in our field, two names that come to mind are Dr. Irene Gold and Dr. Shawn Powers, both are very passionate about their profession and are very vocal when it comes to the principles of chiropractic.

Ask Dr. Gold sometime about her years as a nurse in contrast to her years in chiropractic.

We then have the L.A. Times reporting that “UCLA Medical Center’s Income Drops $50 Million”

The opening of the article reads, “Once regarded as the hardiest UC medical campus in a punishing health care economy, UCLA Medical Center in two years has seen its net income plunge $50 million and bottom out at close to zero.”

While the article is more focused on the system rather than the practitioner, what effect does it have on staff and ultimately on the patient? Is there a pattern here?

Think about this for a moment. Does the health of your doctor have any relationship to your health?

Just the other day I was on the phone with a service representative for a telecommunications company. When hearing that I was a chiropractor she stated “chiropractors are my favorite people.” They are my favorite people too I said, (with a big smile) they are my favorite people too.

Be Proud to be Chiropractic!

Yahoo News: HMO Docs Less Satisfied with Jobs