So Anyway, Allan Joffe turned to Dave Ray and babbled: 
 -> With all due respect, I think you're missing the big picture. I don't
 -> doubt that you encountered what you consider to be "arrogance", but
 -> it's not fair comparing a physician to a plumber, electrician, or
 -> general trade person. Physicians go through 8 years or more of
 -> school, several years of a tough residency, and are regulated much
 -> more than the above mentioned trades. And they have more to lose if
 -> the performance of their job is less than adequate.
 AJ> ............Length of time to obtain an education is no criterion in
 AJ> this case.  Spending a long time in schooling is no warranty of
 AJ> competence.  If it was then the rates for professional liability might
 AJ> well be lower than they are for doctors in practice today.
 This has nothing to do with the overall competence of physicians.
 Doctors are sued for the the smallest of reasons.
 AJ> When a
 AJ> physician stands accused of incompetence it is very hard to find one
 AJ> of his peers who will testify against that physician in a court of law.
 This is a load of horse pucky. Are you aware of the existence of
 certification boards?
 AJ> The "old boys network" flourishes there as well as on Capitol hill.
 You must be a Rush Limbaugh fan, and apply this to ANYONE better
 educated than you that you don't agree with.
 AJ> As far as having more to lose, if they lose their license in one state
 AJ> they can most likely move to another state and resume practice.
 The boards that certify Physicians (i.e. College of American
 Pathologist and others) are nationwide.
 AJ> I know of no data bank open to the public which has information on any
 AJ> doctor in terms of what might bear on competence such as his mortality
 AJ> rate, how many times they have been subject to medical censure or how
 AJ> many times they might have been the object of a law suit charging
 AJ> professional malpractice or incompetence.  I also doubt that
 AJ> information on their sobriety or use of drugs etc. is available in a
 AJ> public forum.
 These are all things that have been suggested to Congress and are in
 the works. As for the "sobriety" or "drug use" of physicians, I can
 guarantee you that a physician with a drinking or drug problem doesn't
 last very long.
 AJ> It all comes down to caveat emptor which is one hell of a
 AJ> way to have to put ones trust in somebody who might represent the
 AJ> difference between life and death.
 If you are ever worried about a physician's qualifications, feel free
 to ask him/her. They will be more than happy to show you their
 credentials. If they do ANYTHING that makes you uncomfortable, then
 find another one. That's your right.
 This sounds more like a caase of sour grapes than anything. Try not to
 criticize a profession until you've tried doing it yourself. You would
 be surprised as to how your attitude would change.
Regards,
Dave
... If you pull the wings off a fly, does it become a walk?
--- OMX/Blue Wave/DOS v2.30
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