• Revenue Cycle Management
  • COVID-19
  • Reimbursement
  • Diabetes Awareness Month
  • Risk Management
  • Patient Retention
  • Staffing
  • Medical Economics® 100th Anniversary
  • Coding and documentation
  • Business of Endocrinology
  • Telehealth
  • Physicians Financial News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cardiovascular Clinical Consult
  • Locum Tenens, brought to you by LocumLife®
  • Weight Management
  • Business of Women's Health
  • Practice Efficiency
  • Finance and Wealth
  • EHRs
  • Remote Patient Monitoring
  • Sponsored Webinars
  • Medical Technology
  • Billing and collections
  • Acute Pain Management
  • Exclusive Content
  • Value-based Care
  • Business of Pediatrics
  • Concierge Medicine 2.0 by Castle Connolly Private Health Partners
  • Practice Growth
  • Concierge Medicine
  • Business of Cardiology
  • Implementing the Topcon Ocular Telehealth Platform
  • Malpractice
  • Influenza
  • Sexual Health
  • Chronic Conditions
  • Technology
  • Legal and Policy
  • Money
  • Opinion
  • Vaccines
  • Practice Management
  • Patient Relations
  • Careers

Restoring the magic

Article

A retired doctor shares his story of rediscovering his passion for medicine by volunteering in a hospice.

Office practice provided diagnostic and therapeutic challenges, favorable interactions with patients, respect from peers, and sufficient income. I read medical journals, attended medical meetings, and submitted articles for publication. I referred patients to subspecialists occasionally, but found I could handle most of their problems myself. Back then, patients had one doctor, not six or seven. I made house calls. They were enjoyable and worthwhile.

I was happy and enthusiastic about my work. "I'm going to continue doctoring until I keel over!" I once told my wife.

Subspecialists took over care of patients I had previously been comfortable treating. The number of my hospital admissions dwindled so that it was not worthwhile maintaining a hospital practice. I ended up taking care of the "worried well" (patients with insignificant problems), filling out referral forms, and fighting with insurance companies to justify necessary diagnostic tests. It seemed I wasn't doing anything worthwhile. My childhood dream of becoming a doctor had become a nightmare. And then came the malpractice suit. I lost it. No excuses; I failed to make an early diagnosis of cancer.

THE TURNING POINT

The worst experiences in my life were the deaths of my father, mother, brother, nephew-and that malpractice suit. You have to experience one to know how negatively it affects you.

My dissatisfaction led to frustration, then anger-anger directed at office staff, peers, and worst of all, patients. I was intolerant, impatient, and just plain nasty. I discharged patients from my practice for little things, such as non-compliance in taking medications or failure to undergo diagnostic tests I had ordered. Income became a priority where it never had been before.

I made adjustments: eliminated hospital duties, took more time off, enrolled in non-medical college courses, traveled, and started new hobbies. They helped a little, but they didn't make me a happy doctor.

Some enthusiasm returned when my son joined me in practice. We got along great, professionally and personally. I learned from him, and he learned from me. But after five years, even that bond was not enough to make things right. The enthusiasm, the passion, and compassion had vanished. I retired at age 62.

Three months later, my best friend and patient, Jeff, died in a hospice unit. He had metastatic brain cancer. I took care of him during his illness. He was my last patient, and at the time my only patient. The considerable medical and personal attention I devoted to Jeff-the countless house calls, the conversations with him and his family-made me feel like a real doctor again. I was at his bedside when he took his last breath in the hospice unit.

Related Videos
Robert E. Oshel, PhD
Gary Price, MD, MBA
Victor J. Dzau, MD, gives expert advice
Ron Holder, MHA, gives expert advice
remote patient monitoring
referral
no shows
effective meetings
phone
© 2023 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.