Sermo, an online community of licensed US physicians with 50,000 members and growing rapidly, has become the platform for a potentially formidable campaign, allowing doctors to speak out and tell their side of the story about the broken healthcare system.
How the campaign started
I recently wrote a posting on Sermo entitled “Open letter to the people of the United States,” which dealt with drafting an open letter reflecting the frustrations of US physicians and publishing it in a national newspaper. This posting sparked an outpouring of powerful responses, making it clear that the physician community holds strong feelings about the current trends in healthcare and has coalesced as a significant force on Sermo to tackle some difficult issues.
The open letter initiative represents a grassroots effort to build consensus among physicians and communicate their concerns to the public. The objective of this letter has been loosely defined as “raising public awareness on how increasing healthcare costs are related to a system that disregards the doctor-patient relationship, promotes the practice of defensive medicine, and restricts the ability of physicians to deliver appropriate care.” All 50,000 Sermo members can contribute to the content of the letter and the campaign is building momentum.
If you are a physician, I urge you to join Sermo to participate in the development of the open letter. This is a real opportunity that can serve as a nidus for unity among physicians, enabling them to lead the next wave of healthcare reform.
This is interesting. I’ll check out Sermo.
defined as “raising public awareness on how increasing healthcare costs are related to a system that disregards the doctor-patient relationship, promotes the practice of defensive medicine, and restricts the ability of physicians to deliver appropriate care.”
Using the above as a basis I set up this web site.
I am downright angry at the ignorance and stupidity of the people. Not their fault – really. The media and politicians. Please read my obnoxious site. It is factual though many will not like the tone of it.
Nobody asks the question: Why? Nobody!!
Critical comments welcome. See site.
http://www.universalhealthcareinfousa.com
John Saarikko, Sarasota, FL
I too agree (and have signed) the Doctors Unite letter. Finally some common sense, to-the-point discussion about addressing health care needs.
It is amazing how the current public (media and activist driven) discussion around health care seems to focus on such indirect issues as banning free drug samples or stopping physicians from working with medical device and drug companies in any way as the answer to addressing health care costs and needs. Limiting treatment options (just like restricting which doctors you can see) isn’t the way to better or even more affordable health care.
It’s apparent that the insurance and managed care industries and activist groups with whom they are aligned (and likely fund) want to use this political season during which health care is likely to be a major focal point are so aggressively seeking to divert our focus on what matters to patients, their families and caregivers.
The more physicians and patient interest groups align around real issues – access, appropriate treatments and quality of life issues – the better.