Letters
Is this a gracious offer of a generous windfall, or is it the piece of bacon that entices the family beagle out the door and into the garage?
Friends or foes?
If history teaches us anything, it is that yesterday’s sworn enemy might be to- day’s ally, and then tomorrow’s enemy again — just look at the British and French. The insurance lobby was our joined-at-the-hip cohort during tort re- form, but certainly not over prompt pay. Now is a good time to revisit the old joke that starts “I’m from the govern- ment, and I’m here to help.” Three recent publications illustrate
the role of government in health care. Wang et al recently reported that compliance with the Surgical Care Im- provement Project was not necessarily in patients’ best interest. Compliance with the infection measures was not associ- ated with improved infection outcomes, and compliance with thromboembolism measures resulted in at least 50 percent higher infection rates.1 The urologists have had experience similar to the orthopods. Catalona et al reported that the U.S. Preventive Servic- es Task Force that issued a recommen-
dation against prostate-specific antigen screening did not have a single urologist or cancer specialist on its panel.2 As previously noted in this publica-
tion, the Federal Trade Commission is now lumbering into the fray on scope- of-practice issues, potentially emascu- lating the state licensing boards. (See
“FTC Crackdown,” August 2012 Texas Medicine, pages 18–23.)
It is in this context that we assess the
increasing levels of coercion, monetary and otherwise, to shepherd physicians into accountable care organizations. Is this a gracious offer of a generous wind- fall, or is it the piece of bacon that en- tices the family beagle out the door and into the garage? Now more than ever we need the
Texas Medical Association and our other collective groups to help us decipher whether these enticements are the act of a friend or of a seductive enemy, or per- haps something more banal, like Owen Wilson’s character in the movie The Big Bounce (2004). He explained himself thus: “Sure we’re friends — it’s just that
Physician Practice Opportunities
We have exciting opportunities for board certified/board eligible physicians to join Covenant Medical Group. The ideal candidate should have experience and a Texas license.
Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgeon - Lubbock, TX Emergency Medicine - Lubbock, TX Endocrinologist - Lubbock, TX EP Cardiologist - Lubbock, TX Family Medicine With OB - Littlefield, TX Family Medicine With OB - Snyder, TX Family Medicine - Denver City, TX Family Practice Urgent Care - Lubbock, TX Hematology Oncology - Lubbock, TX Hospitalist - Lubbock, TX Maternal Fetal Medicine - Lubbock, TX Neurologist - Lubbock, TX OB/GYN - Plainview, TX Oncology - Lubbock, TX Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon - Lubbock, TX Pediatric Emergency Medicine - Lubbock, TX Pediatric Hematology/Oncology - Lubbock, TX Pediatric Intensivist - Lubbock, TX Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon - Lubbock, TX Pediatric Surgeon - Lubbock, TX Pediatrician - Plainview, TX
Covenant Medical Group (CMG) is affiliated with Covenant Health System in Lubbock, Texas. CMG is a multi-specialty group with more than 150 physicians across West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefit package. CV should include salary requirements and can be forwarded to Covenant Medical Group, Attn: Kelly Fortney, 3420 22nd Place, Lubbock, TX 79410 or faxed to (806) 723- 7476. For telephone inquiries, call (806) 725-7875. E-mail:
kfortney@covhs.org
December 2012 TEXAS MEDICINE 7
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