For everyone wondering why your emergency physician may seem hurried, I offer you Exhibit A…

Large corporate staffing group is now flexing hours based on qty of patients seen per shift. Note 30 patients from 5p-8p. And also note the protocol telling doc how to treat stroke pt.

To be clear, I know not a single emergency physician who wants to work like this. But as VC and PE buys up private democratic groups, they shove their metrics down our throats. All in the name of profits. Don’t like it? They’ve got a bunch of new NPs finishing online right now.

We know this is crappy medicine. We know patients deserve better. But for all the times you’ve been frustrated at your physician, realize your anger may be misdirected. Nothing will change until we get rid of for-profit metric-driven corporate medicine. The future is bleak.

Why not just change specialities? Physicians complete 3-8 years of residency and many also so fellowship. Our malpractice is specific to our speciality. Unlike NPs and PAs, we cannot switch specialties. This is actually better for patients because it hones our focus.

Between that, crippling debt, & the fact that only a handful of corporate medical groups staff 80% of all ERs, we feel trapped. And also gagged. Docs like @Cleavon_MD have been fired for speaking the truth. We have no unions. It’s time for patients to speak up. This has to stop.