Sean Khozin, MD, MPH

In the past few weeks, CNN has done a great job presenting the real views of physicians about the healthcare system. In fact, today I was on CNN with Heidi Collins speaking about my medical practice and healthcare reform (will post the video when it’s up).

One of the recent commentaries on CNN is an interesting account of Dr. Vance Harris’s frustrations as a primary care physician. I had published an earlier piece by Dr. Harris on my blog last year called “Not in a Million Years.”

After venting out a bit, Dr. Harris ends his commentary with:

Good luck recruiting primary care specialists when we are projected to be short 39,000 by 2020, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. And nearly half of all doctors surveyed by the Physicians’ Foundation have said that over the next three years they plan to reduce the number of patients they see or stop practicing entirely.

I know this is true because I am struggling to find a primary care doctor to take care of my wife and myself. Now that is ironic. Anyone know who is taking new patients in California?

Dr. Harris initially posted his commentary on Sermo and was met with great words of moral support from his colleagues.

As the health reform fight shifts this month from a vacationing Washington to congressional districts and local airwaves around the country, much more of the battle than most people realize is already over. The likely victors are insurance giants such as UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, and WellPoint. The carriers have succeeded in redefining the terms of the reform debate to such a degree that no matter what specifics emerge in the voluminous bill Congress may send to President Obama this fall, the insurance industry will emerge more profitable. Health reform could come with a $1 trillion price tag over the next decade, and it may complicate matters for some large employers. But insurance CEOs ought to be smiling. BUSINESS WEEK

It’s a shame that the voice of patients and physicians has been largely absent from the dialogue on healthcare reform. The vacuum created by the lack of appropriate representation on behalf of the public and the physician community is being filled by special interests. The AMA may want to be more aggressive in voicing the concerns of practicing physician in the trenches who have a deep understanding of the deficits of the current system and can be the best patient advocates.

Is is time for a new organization to represent physicians in the U.S.? Looking at this may suggest the answer.

Here’s an interesting interactive map from MSNBC and Moody’s measuring the economic health of the United States. It’s not pleasant to see all the states in red, i.e., recession. Move the top cursor on the map a few years back to see how the recession evolved.