Corporate medicine is reducing the quality of care many patients receive. You deserve better.
“I was in pain, and I had questions… The limited care I received at the hospital left me with even more concerns. I had been ‘seen’ by doctors and nurses—well, mostly nurses—and the process left me feeling confused and frustrated. There was a lot of activity, and a mountain of paperwork… but it didn’t seem like anyone was focused on actually doing anything to address what was really going on. I didn’t want more pain pills. I wanted to talk about long-term solutions, but we didn’t even get to have that conversation. Once I finally got to see the surgeon, she was kind, professional, competent, and honest… but it was clear she didn’t really have the time or the freedom to deliver the quality of care I expected… She did her job, and then I was passed along… still hurting, still wondering if I was ever going to get any answers.”
I wish I could say that kind of experience with corporate medicine is rare, but we hear stories like this one from patients on a regular basis. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience, or you can relate with their exasperation at the state of care in the medical field. If you’ve sought help, and you keep running into frustrations and roadblocks, or another round of tests, rather than actual answers, it’s not your imagination. As the practice of medicine becomes more controlled by larger corporate interests, the trend we’re seeing outside of private practice looks like this:
An overall reduction in the level of care offered
An increase in time-consuming tasks that have no direct connection with patient care
More barriers between patients and adequate, empathetic care
Less time with the doctor once you finally get to see them
This is happening, and it’s happening more often. It’s not your imagination, and it’s not a secret. Over the past decade, doctors across multiple different specialties have been limited and constrained as a series of corporate acquisitions continue to transform American healthcare… and certainly not for the better.
When these massive corporate interests, for whom profit is the primary driving factor, are calling the shots, providers have to make do with fewer resources, and patients are asked to be content with a lower standard of care. In order to continue practicing medicine, many good, competent physicians have given up private practice, becoming employees of medical groups owned by these massive, profit-driven corporate interests.
Today, more than half of all practicing doctors are employees of a system that is
focused primarily on profit margins, rather than people.
That's not a situation these doctors prefer. It's a reality forced on them if they want to continue practicing medicine. They’re miserable with the current system, but it’s better than not being able to help patients at all.
We’re different, and we’re staying that way
Here at Atlanta Spine Specialists, our Windward Surgery Center offers all the resources we need to continue to operate independently, which is a blessing for our team and for our patients. I began practicing medicine because I wanted to offer patients the highest possible standard of care. I was determined to deliver the kind of care we used to see on shows like Dr. Kildare.
Remember Dr. Kildare? I sure do. No matter who the patient was or what they were dealing with, they received focused, attentive, personal, professional care. Like Dr. Kildare, I believe your doctor should be a trusted friend who knows how to listen and has the knowledge and expertise to make the right diagnosis and offer you the best treatment options for your unique situation. That’s how I’ve approached treating patients for more than 30 years. Unfortunately, in that time, I’ve watched the practice of medicine transformed by insurance companies and massive corporations into a machine that treats patients like profit centers. It shouldn’t be that way. And, at Atlanta Spine Specialists, it won’t be. We will continue to provide attentive, empathetic, professional care so that our patients enjoy their best possible quality of life.
We feel blessed to be in the position to continue to offer the kind of personal, individual medical care we always have. We put patients first, because they are why we do what we do. And we know that this patient-first approach delivers better outcomes, because we see it every day.
If you’re frustrated, uncomfortable, or dissatisfied with the care you’re being offered by corporate medicine, you have options. You deserve compassionate care that is focused on delivering the treatment you need to have the best possible outcomes, so you can get Back to Life! Click this link to make an appointment for a consultation with Dr. Skaliy today.