Medical doctors should consider conversion to alternative practices
At a time when half of primary-care doctors might rather be doing something else, this could be a great opportunity for health care practitioners to consider alternative medicine.
In a Physicians’ Foundation survey, nearly half of U.S. primary-care medical doctors revealed the hassles of insurance, government and an abundance of paperwork have them considering a departure from medicine, according to CNN in mid-November.
In fact, 76 percent of physicians said their workload is at “full capacity†or that they are “overextended and overworked,†according to Yahoo News. Consider these numbers:
– In about 15 years, the U.S. could face a shortage of 35,000 to 40,000 primary doctors
– Two percent of medical students plan to go into primary care
– Sixty percent of general practice doctors wouldn’t recommend a career in medicine
One saving grace might be “boutique†medicine, which charges patients an annual out-of-pocket fee and doesn’t accept insurance, CNN reports.
It sounds similar to how many alternative medicine practitioners operate their practices, which help them avoid some of the hassles medical doctors face. Although certain alternative therapies, such as chiropractic and acupuncture, are covered under some insurance policies, there are many alternative practitioners that rely on patients to pay for services out of pocket.
The “boutique†approach also presents medical doctors with an opportunity to incorporate nutritional products into their practices. Instead of doling out prescriptions, doctors could focus more attention on natural, truly preventive approaches.
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