When Doctors Talk …

And yet another reason to think WebMD is a scam. Aside from their insane advice, of course.

Ok, you said, ???Sermo makes money by selling access to doctor talk, mostly to Big Pharma???. So I get how this is good for Sermo, but why would physicians use Sermo instead of an online community that actually protects their privacy? I mean, Sermo just offers a one-way mirror where pharma can watch the private conversations of physicians, even if it is ???anonymous???. Since Sermo still knows who these doctors are, it seems doctors are taking a big chance for questionable benefit. After all, who knows any doctor who seeks a consult from an ???anonymous??? physician in a hospital or practice setting? They either walk down the hall to chat with their favorite specialist, pick up the phone and call a colleague they know or they get referred to another physician through a physician they already trust. So why would physicians behave any differently online? I asked my physician this question this morning, and he said he would see far more value in a community where he could actually build real relationships and consult the same way he does today, with doctors he can call by name.

I am delighted to see the Open Letter from America???s Physicians. It???s impressive that 12,600 physicians have signed it!

The quote in the Open Letter: ???Unfortunately, our healthcare system has lost focus to the point where patient wellbeing is placed after politics, profits, and special interests??? is so true!

Patients and physicians want the best care for patients possible. Insurance companies want their profits, to the exclusion of good care.
Martin Luther King said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane."

The solution? NON-PROFIT, UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE FOR ALL. It works well in many, many countries around the world.

The focus of Doctors Unite is the Open Letter that has been signed by 12, 600 physicians. Sermo and Doctors Unite physicains need to be at President Obama's Healthcare Reform table.

An Open Letter from America's Physicians

Dear Fellow Americans,

For decades the United States has led the world in healthcare. We have enjoyed the finest hospitals, medical schools, research, technology, and resources. Unfortunately, our healthcare system has lost focus to the point where patient wellbeing is placed after politics, profits, and special interests. Healthcare costs are on the rise and patients have lost their freedom of choice. These trends are hurting our economy and compromising the doctor-patient relationship. As a result, it has become difficult for physicians to deliver the best possible care.

Our heavily fragmented healthcare system has made it very difficult for you, the American public, to get the care you need. As your physicians, we want to partner with you to address the critical defects of the system as outlined below:

* You are paying a lot for healthcare and not receiving enough in return. Your insurance premiums continue to increase while your healthcare options are dwindling. Gatekeepers, insurance networks, and restrictive regulations limit your choice of doctors and your access to care.

* You have been made dependent on complicated and expensive health insurance plans. Employers are forced to take money out of your paycheck to purchase health coverage. If you lose your job, you are left with no safety net and the money you have paid for health coverage vanishes.

* The time you spend with your physician has become remarkably brief due to regulatory hurdles requiring doctors to spend more time on documentation than with you.

We believe the following factors have made our current healthcare system unsustainable:

* The insurance industry's undue authority and oppressive control over healthcare processes

* Excessive and misguided government regulation

* The practice of defensive medicine in response to a harmful and costly legal environment

We, the physicians of the United States, will no longer remain silent. We will not tolerate a healthcare system where those without medical expertise or genuine interest in our patients' health have absolute control. This letter is merely a summary of the most important problems in our current system. We believe that by partnering with the public we can start to demand real change and formulate practical solutions.

We invite you, our patients, friends, neighbors, and employers to unite with us at this important time in the history of healthcare in the United States. Together, we can guarantee our nation a healthier tomorrow.

Please talk to your doctor about this letter and visit Doctors Unite for more information.

Respectfully,

The Undersigned U.S. Physicians

The focus of Doctors Unite is the Open Letter :

An Open Letter from America's Physicians

Dear Fellow Americans,

For decades the United States has led the world in healthcare. We have enjoyed the finest hospitals, medical schools, research, technology, and resources. Unfortunately, our healthcare system has lost focus to the point where patient wellbeing is placed after politics, profits, and special interests. Healthcare costs are on the rise and patients have lost their freedom of choice. These trends are hurting our economy and compromising the doctor-patient relationship. As a result, it has become difficult for physicians to deliver the best possible care.

Our heavily fragmented healthcare system has made it very difficult for you, the American public, to get the care you need. As your physicians, we want to partner with you to address the critical defects of the system as outlined below:

* You are paying a lot for healthcare and not receiving enough in return. Your insurance premiums continue to increase while your healthcare options are dwindling. Gatekeepers, insurance networks, and restrictive regulations limit your choice of doctors and your access to care.

* You have been made dependent on complicated and expensive health insurance plans. Employers are forced to take money out of your paycheck to purchase health coverage. If you lose your job, you are left with no safety net and the money you have paid for health coverage vanishes.

* The time you spend with your physician has become remarkably brief due to regulatory hurdles requiring doctors to spend more time on documentation than with you.

We believe the following factors have made our current healthcare system unsustainable:

* The insurance industry's undue authority and oppressive control over healthcare processes

* Excessive and misguided government regulation

* The practice of defensive medicine in response to a harmful and costly legal environment

We, the physicians of the United States, will no longer remain silent. We will not tolerate a healthcare system where those without medical expertise or genuine interest in our patients' health have absolute control. This letter is merely a summary of the most important problems in our current system. We believe that by partnering with the public we can start to demand real change and formulate practical solutions.

We invite you, our patients, friends, neighbors, and employers to unite with us at this important time in the history of healthcare in the United States. Together, we can guarantee our nation a healthier tomorrow.

Please talk to your doctor about this letter and visit Doctors Unite for more information.

Respectfully,

The Undersigned U.S. Physicians

12, 600 physicians have signed the letter !!!! Sermo and Doctors Unite physicians need to be at President Obama Health Care Reform table.

Corruption, anybody?