On Chosing Your Own Doctor

The notion of choosing your own Doctor has become a big controversy since Obamacare was passed.  Everyone is for it, the controversy is all about accusing others of not allowing people to choose their own doctor, implying (usually) that if you don't get to choose your own doctor you will end up dead.  It is silly.

Over the years I have from time to time been hired to do research that relates to he competence of doctors.   Here are some basic truths I have learned.  

1.  The competence of Doctors is controlled by Doctors (in California by the Medical Board) 

2.  Medical Science is full of gray areas, competing ideas, different views of treatment.

3.  In our privacy obsessed society it is very difficult to get information about the competency of a particular doctor, particularly doctors operating in a small or solo practice.

Put these three facts together and you have created the situation we have - where Doctors who are supposed to monitor doctors are extremely unwilling to judge another doctor to be incompetent.  Even when a patient dies at the doctors hands, other doctors are inclined to bend over backwards to give the doctor the benefit of the doubt.

As a result horribly incompetent doctors, doctors who have committed major mal-practice multiple times, including killing people with their mistakes, sometimes continue being doctors for many years, continue having patients and getting referrals.   

Who goes to these Doctors?  Who sends them referrals?  People (including other doctors) like you and me who judge them as we judge other people we meet.  Are they likable.  Well-spoken.  Friendly.  Do they sound like they know what they are talking about.

There is no way for a lay person to know if their Doctor is bad, mediocre or good.  Given the gray areas in the medical field, even fellow doctors who work with the doctor may have a hard time distinguishing good from mediocre.

As far as I can see there is only one way to make sure you don't get a really bad Doctor.  Use a big corporate entity for your medical care, who pays the malpractice insurance for all it's doctors.  We all know no corporation is going to tolerate an employee who costs them lots of money.