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Redding Doc: Why Physicians are Sick of the System
Redding’s Dr. Vance Harris tells CNN.com why he and others are sick of the medical system…
People are making a huge assumption in this reform effort that as we extend coverage to millions who don’t have health insurance, there will be doctors there to actually provide the health care. Fewer and fewer medical students are choosing primary care and many primary care doctors are leaving the field. Let me share with you why we are losing so many primary care doctors. … (click here).
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Kelly. Thanks again for your in-depth coverage of this issue. I have been reading a lot about the Dartmouth studies, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Intermountain Clinic in Utah, and other non-profit health care providers around the country, that are providing WORLD CLASS QUALITY HEALTH CARE for half the cost of many other profit driven providers. And the reasons are that they have addressed all the concerns that this doctor raises. Well done with your reporting. I love this news site!
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Kelly, I read Dr. Harris’ column in the R/S recently. At first I thought it was just “sour grapes”. Obviously, he is not happy with his situation. There is something really missing in our health care system. I had a doctor tell me this several years ago. Also, I have noted that fewer and fewer are becoming GP’s. Also, the cost of college is terrible. Who can afford college anymore, especially in the medical field. And we are seeing more and more doctors from India. They are very good doctors. Unfortunately, though, in order to find a real number one specialist, we have to leave Redding. It is possible that we may have to travel many miles to find a specialist for our problem. Thanks for your coverage, Kelly.
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I have talked to a lot of Dr. Harris’ patients over the years. They get injured just like everyone else. But I have never talked to anyone who had the least interest in making any kind of a claim against him. Maybe that is because the judgment he talked about is perfect. I doubt it, just because nobody is right 100% of the time. But he talks to his patients and explains things to them. They understand the issues and understand that all they can ask is for him to pay attention and do the best he can. Unfortunately, that, too, is disappearing from medicine, and it is a crying shame. We need more people like Dr. Harris, not just in medicine, but in all aspects of our society.
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Most don’t realize, but for the few dollars that Dr. Harris does make, his staff has to fight the insurance company tooth and nail to get it. Sometimes it takes months of rebilling to get the insurance to pay the claim (at a reduced rate). In the mean time ,he still has a staff and overhead that he has to pay today.
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My kids are close to his younger kids, so I have a different view on this. He was my kids’ doctor before he left the one office he was at. He has been to my house and we have been to his. We took care of his cats once while they are on vacation. We were neighbors until they sold and moved.
Dr. Harris is one of the nicest people you could hope to meet. None of the arrogance of most doctors. Smart and funny, if you met him you would guess that he was a college professor.
Something is wrong in America. While I was growing up, the smartest kids in class wanted to be doctors when they grew up and would be rewarded for their efforts. Those same smart kids now make less than many jobs that require sales techniques and no education.
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