Unionizing MD's (wasRe: Can we talk about who will certify our EMR/Health information technology?)

[Guest guest]

I do believe that discussion of fees would be strictly verboten in such a group.

And there are probably lots of other tactics to pressure the insurance industry

that would be considered in the illegal-to-gray areas due to anti-trust

considerations. But you could have an organization that lobbies Congress to

change the anti-trust situation in respect to doctors, or do lots of other

things. Back to needing those & *()#$$ lawyers.

I just think somebody's got to get a little more pugnacious about the whole

deal.

Haresch

> > >

> > > A few years ago I was so fuming mad and I was screaming the same

> > ideas in really long winded posts at the AC user board and one or

> > two really good people would chime in and lend me their moral

> > support and sort of validate my feelings and frustration but nothing

> > really came of it... Then other things in life got extremely hairy

> > over the last year or two, especially the last year and I just

> > didn't have the time or the strength to ive to it although it

> > certainly speaks to the authentic me....

> > >

> > > Â Â Â But the teamsters, yes those Teamsters have started to

> > organize some of the docs here in the great CNY region...

> > Unfortunately the FTC has always struck down any sort of real

> > Unionizing attempts with threats and prosecution of violations of

> > their totally distorted and messed up concept of freetrade in this

> > industry.... Oh but never forget, that the carriers were granted an

> > " anti-waiver/exemption " back around 1940 or so, so they as to

> > supposedly allow them better access to all the critical data that

> > they need to set the community rates... So we extra small mom and

> > pop shops are held hostage with the real threat of going to jail and

> > being fined out of business, while the extra large and powerful

> > corporations that we must " negotiate " with or better against can and

> > certainly really do collude as much as possible...

> > >

> > > Â Â Â I still don't see how anyone in their right mind can

> > considered this present situation a balanced and fair fight that

> > needs the present laws and regulations tightened and strongly

> > applied as the FTC has done all these years... I have attempted to

> > stay on top of this because unions are in my blood and heritage and

> > I too believe as long as these blood suckers are allowed to stay

> > around, they will never go away and give in quietly, they are just

> > too used to gettin way to much money bleeding all of us dry... I

> > also see the problem as many specialists are way too laid back and

> > selfish on all this loving their over valued procedure codes and

> > don't get a rat's behind about starving, insane, over worked and

> > under paid, toxic shocked primaries..

> > >

> > > IMHO, Â the real pressure is going to have to come from a much

> > stronger effort to round up every last primary, and get them all to

> > quit the AMA so as to hit them in the wallet because they hurt

> > primaries with the 25-4 (may be only 24-5, but who's counting)Â

> > loaded board that creates the relative values that starve all

> > primaries out, and take those funds and efforts to be used and

> > applied to a much more vibrate almost radical organization that

> > fights for the right to organize, have separate fee schedules for

> > primaries that recognize that cognitive skills and medicine is their

> > valued bread and butter... Now that would shake a few things and

> > people loose... As long as primaries are sheep lead to slaughter

> > hiding behind the AMA who doesn't even get it, and doesn't give two

> > cents about them, no less organizations like the AAFP and AAP who

> > buy into the first bad idea like the over loaded, misconcieved

> > medical home, and only in the last few years got the idea

> > > of collective bargining, then nothing is going to change...

> > >

> > > Â Â Â But again this is what a union really is all about and

> > for... Work conditions, work hours, how much work for how much pay

> > and other compensation... All these issues about the toxic nature of

> > your present work place (execpt for some IMP's) are all a " labor-

> > managment kind of things to be properly hammered out across the

> > collective bargining table... But even the enviornment of the

> > discussion would change because now there would be the standard of

> > " Bargining in Good Faith " as laid out in labor law. And let me tell

> > you presently there is not a thing that happens between offices like

> > ours and these mega SOB's that even has the faints hint of meeting

> > such a standard...

> > >

> > > Â Â Â So, let me know when the ship finally starts to sail for I

> > am all for it and I know a whole lot about basic organizing,

> > unionism and labor laws and I would love to be one of the people

> > sitting at those first few heated, now we've got some muscle and

> > clout to attempt to leverage back against you suckers, meetings. Â

> > But things are extra rough and tough in our lives here right now and

> > I do not have the time or energy to spare standing alone on a soap

> > box fighting windmills like the man of lamancha... But goodness

> > knows if something was to actually start to finally catch on I'd

> > love to play Meanie and Phil Oches all at the same time...

> > Thanks for listening to this old blue collar boy bitch...

> > >

> > >

> > > Â Â Â

> >

> >

> >

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