Blog and News

Physician “burn-out” is a phenomenon that results from long hours, tremendous stress, and a demanding profession. Job satisfaction has eroded as a result of a myriad of tasks unrelated to patient care. Doctors are distracted by insurance company gamesmanship, government over-regulation, medical liability concerns, forced adoption of cumbersome electronic record systems, and hundreds of other issues which steal valuable time from patients. These aggravations have been accepted by doctors, as a trade-off for the ability to earn a decent living commensurate with the effort expended. Obamacare eliminates the few remaining incentives left for physicians. Patients will not be happy, wondering whether they will find a doctor to get the care that they need. What is bad for doctors will be infinitely worse for patients. 

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Physicians who care for patients every day understand what no one else does – that the benefits of HIT are not a forgone conclusion. To us HIT has as much potential to harm patients as it has to help them. We also understand that the fund of knowledge required to safely and effectively implement HIT has not yet been adequately developed.

Health information technology will change the practice of medicine more than any drug, imaging modality, operation or surgical device. It will profoundly affect the care of every patient. No other past or current medical advancement can make that claim.

Any new technology, including health information technology, produces unexpected adverse consequences. For adverse events in health care, government mandates create a frightening multiplier. What if the government had required all overweight patients to use Fen-Phen before its cardiac side effects were discovered? What if all patients with arthritic hips had been required to receive cobalt-containing implants? In an environment where every innovation is rightfully scrutinized before it is placed into widespread use, why do so many accept the unproven claims of HIT as unchallenged fact?  

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The ACA fails to fix the basic problems that were promised if passed- high costs and access to care. It actually exacerbates these problems. There is little disagreement that America’s health care “system” was in need of reform, however, many of the “solutions” embedded in the ACA are concepts that are untested or have failed historically and in recent CMS demonstration projects.

Governor Romney can distance himself from President Obama on healthcare by developing a health system reform platform that relies on trust of the American consumers and their physicians, instead of erecting artificial barriers and obstacles that further erode the physician-patient relationship. A leader like Governor Romney with a lifetime of business experience is poised to collaborate with the working physicians of America to set a more hopeful and constructive healthcare course for the future. 

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Docs4PatientCare's Dr. Hal Scherz's latest column on Townhall.com discusses what healthcare would look like if ObamaCare was un-done and we could have a "do over" on health care reform. His article begins: 

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In the aftermath of the Obama presidential election, healthcare reform became an intensely debated political issue, and the American Medical Association (AMA) had a difficult time deciding their position on the Affordable Care Act (ACA, Obamacare).

The AMA's problems have deepened because they are not what they purport themselves to be-the spokesman for the community of physicians. How can they be when only approximately 10% of the practicing physicians in the US are members? In contrast to the 1960's when over 75% of doctors belonged to the AMA, their influence in the medical community has waned considerably, in part because they are out of touch with the views of practicing physicians. Obamacare is a perfect example.

The ACA will have a devastating impact on physicians and the AMA has failed to protect them, leaving physicians without an advocate. The AMA cannot serve 2 masters. They must choose who they represent. Perhaps it is time for the AMA to step aside and make way for another organization more interested in protecting the needs of doctors; one that is not conflicted. 

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Docs4PatientCare's Dr. Hal Scherz latest article has just been published at Townhall.com. He writes: 

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Docs4PatientCare's Drs. Hal Scherz and Dick Armstrong have written a new article for Townhall.com. In their article they discuss the history of the Rochester-based Mayo Clinic, a hospital started on the premise that medical doctors would have the authority to make decisions based on what was in the best interest of their patients. Today, hospitals are no longer run with this principle in mind. Rather, critical decisions about patient care are dictated by policies implemented by government bureaucrats and hospital administrators and those may or may not serve the best interest of the patient. 

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Now that President Obama has officially launched his re-election campaign, it is "game on" to secure the support of a crucial voting block, American senior citizens. What better way to gain their trust than to implement his game-winning strategy of fear-mongering and politicizing the beloved Medicare program? The president is hoping that seniors will be influenced by the mainstream media and taxpayer funded infomercials extolling the benefits bestowed upon them as a result of the Affordable Care Act, however, the Medicare program is skirting on the edge of bankruptcy and will take America down with it. The good news is D4PC is on top of this contentious issue and in this article, Drs. Hal Scherz and Richard Armstrong clearly explain what is at stake for seniors and what they can do to preserve the program that so many seniors rely on. 

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Docs4PatientCare's Dr. Hal Scherz has a new column at Townhall.com discussing whether medical care is a right or a responsibility. Dr. Scherz writes: 

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D4PC President, Dr. Hal Scherz, has a new article published at Townhall the explains how trial lawyers and the insurance companies are the real beneficiaries of our current medical system, a system that all too often diverts precious health care dollars from patient care into defensive medicine and into the coffers of the trial lawyers and the malpractice carriers.  

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Dr. Kipp Van Camp, host of the popular Kansas City-based radio show "Doctors Orders", hosted Docs4PatientCare founder and president Dr. Hal Scherz Friday on his show. Listen in on our Audio page, or learn more about Dr. Van Camp at the program on his website, drkipp.com. 

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With the PPACA's 159 new agencies, commissions, panels and commissions, it is very difficult to predict with certainty the extent of damage about to be unleashed on the doctor-patient relationship and the future of freedom of choice in the personal healthcare decisions of Americans. Much focus and scrutiny has been leveled at the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), perhaps the most egregious and controversial component of the president's healthcare law. Although the law was passed without any Republican support, the concerns and criticism of the IPAB are bipartisan and merit understanding by the public and our lawmakers.

In his most recent publication, D4PC President, Hal Scherz, MD, explains in detail the unprecedented power granted to this politically appointed, unaccountable group of bureaucrats who along with the Secretary of HHS, will essentially control the entire US healthcare system.  

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Should the law give special treatment to a "VIP" or "big shot" while denying that to everyone else? Docs4PatientCare's Dr. Hal Scherz explains how ObamaCare will lead to a government takeover of healthcare and then, for budgetary reasons, the government will deny access to basic health care to most Americans. This won't be a problem for politicians and their friends who will use the perks of power to gain access to care but for those who are not politically-connected or lack the financial means to go elsewhere for care, the results could be devastating. 

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D4PC's Dr. Hal Scherz has written a new article for Georgia Health News detailing the specific reasons why most of the medical profession has lost faith in the American Medical Association (AMA) to represent their profession. 

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Writing for Physician News, Docs4PatientCare's Dr. Hal Scherz suggests doctors will continue to be a target unless they wake up and understand how policies coming from Washington, D.C. will affect doctors, their practice and their ability to properly care for their patients. 

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Dr. Ha Scherz's latest op-ed was featured on FoxNews.com today, and his perspective is frightening:

"If you have been watching the unraveling of our economy over the past several weeks, then what is coming very soon to health care should really get your attention. The financial world has reacted negatively and punished us for the misguided policies of President Obama and his economic team.

"Simply substitute Treasury Secretary Timothy Geitner with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, former White House budget direct Peter Orszag with CMS director Donald Berwick, and economic advisor Larry Summers with health care adviser Nancy Ann Deparle, and you get an idea of the types of individuals and the level of competence of those who are now at the helm of the health care system."  

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Welcome to D4PC "Morning Rounds", your daily review of healthcare news and information from Washington, DC and around the nation. These briefings will keep you up to date on recent developments and our effort to replace the PPACA with patient-centered reforms that protect the doctor-patient relationship and preserve individual freedom of choice.  

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IPAB has been called a Trojan horse by Docs4PatientCare's President, Dr. Hal Scherz.  In a new Washington Times opinion piece, Dr. Scherz details how a groups of IPAB bureaucrats - the majority of which will not by practicing physicians according to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius - will be making decisions about "how doctors caring for Medicare patients will get paid. It is anticipated that IPAB will drive payments so low that many doctors will be unable to offer certain services to patients, resulting in rationing of health care, which the administration fervently denies." 

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Audio of Docs4PatientCare's Dr. Hal Scherz from the Hugh Hewitt radio show is available here. 

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It is no secret that the AMA was perhaps the most significant supporter of the president's healthcare law and their endorsement was tremendously influential in garnering support from members of congress and the public.  However, over the past year, through the work of organizations like D4PC, the ugly truth has been revealed about the AMA, such as the embarrasing low percentage of physician membership and its self-serving role as a special interest lobby. Yet, despite hemorrhaging even more members over the past two years, the AMA continues to undermine American physicians and patients.  Dr. Scherz' article helps readers understand the many reasons why the AMA has lost the support of a majority of America's "practicing" physicians.  

 

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Docs4PatientCare's Dr. Hal Scherz has a new article published at Health Reform Report that discusses the HHS plan to spy on doctors. While the plan has been shelved, at least temporarily, Dr. Scherz makes the point that this kind of government action is sinister in additional to failing to fix any of the problems with the American healthcare system. 

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After receiving the prestigious Salvatori Prize from the Heritage Foundation, Dr. Hal Scherz, the founder and president of Docs 4 Patient Care, sat down for an interview with Heritage's own Insider Online. During the course of that interview, Dr. Scherz offered his perspective on health care reform, which is also reflected in D4PC's Prescription for Healthcare Reform:

"The problem with Obamacare is that it is a top-down system. It is government-run. President Obama and his supporters believe that the government is better at making health care decisions than patients are, and that is just absolutely flat out wrong. Patients need to be in charge of their health care. Patients need to be the ones who can purchase insurance and get tax credits like employers. Patients need to be the ones to decide who their doctor is going to be and they have to be the ones who decide how they are going to pay for it and not let a third party pay for it. We have to revamp the entire health care delivery model so that people are in charge through high-deductible health savings accounts, so that the first dollar out is their dollar and not the insurance company’s or the government’s. Whoever is controlling the payment of health care is controlling the health care of the individual. That should be the patients and not the government or insurance companies."

Read the full interview here.  

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On Thursday, Dr. Hal Scherz, founder and president of Docs 4 Patient Care, received the prestigious Salvatori prize from the Heritage Foundation for his dedication to fighting a government takeover of health care that violates the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship.

Hadley Heath with the Independent Women's Forum wrote a blog post congratulating Dr. Scherz, and we wanted to share some of her comments here.

"This reminds me of a scene from the movie 'The Patriot.' The pastor of a small town leaves to go with the militia to fight the British. Although he recognizes that it's not normally the role of a pastor to fight in a war, he tells his congregation, 'A shepherd must tend his flock, and at times, fight off the wolves.'

"This is how I see Dr. Scherz: His number one mission, like so many doctors, is to serve his patients. But at times, the doctors who care most about their patients must fight back against the bad policies that threaten their ability to do so.

"I congratulate Dr. Scherz, and all the members of Docs 4 Patient Care, for the great work they are doing."

Read the full post here. 

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