My doctor was fired!

Finding an excellent physician just got harder when the largest local medical group decided one of it's top docs, with the biggest practice, who could always get to the route of the problem, was himself too much of a problem. After seeing his last patient a week ago, security escorted him out of the office and out of the practice, as he had just been fired. How could this happen? A quick check of pending litigation suggests he didn't kill anyone and no one died from his prescriptions. There are neither outstanding lawsuits nor outstanding warrants. The culprit? He wanted employees to stop making critical medical errors. He asked hospital nurses to nurse, not doctor, his patients. He voiced his concerns to his colleagues and those in charge. He cared too much, took more then the allotted time for each paying customer and wanted to be home with his family by 7 p.m. He was indeed a terrible man.


When joining a medical practice doctors often sign a "do not compete" clause: if they quit, they agree not to hang their shingle within a 200 mile radius for 18 months. The good news here is Dr. X was let go, allowing him to seize the day and open his own practice where he will not fire himself for doing a good job. His patients will flock to him. He will need a nurse practitioner. A notice in the newspaper will get the word out, along with all his returning patients spreading the news. He will be back in business in short order. He can sue to get his privileges back at the hospitals, also owned by the same large medical group. That's why there are lawyers.

This doctor saved lives, diagnosed and then hospitalized the sick, returned phone calls, took extra time, and while he was soft spoken, what he did say had merit. Through mono, pneumonia, strep, blood clots, and my best friend's cancer, this guy donned his red Superman cape and got to the root of the problem to save the day. But no good deed goes unpunished, and for his good deeds he was fired. Apparently the large practice doesn't give a hoot about the doctor's patients' well being, the mental stress the seriously ill are suffering as a result of this news, nor the heartache in finding a new physician one can trust. "Forget about it," the medical practice openly stated with their actions. A letter was sent to each patient advising them "Dr. X no longer works here." That well written sentence from the vice president of the practice, who was obviously not an undergraduate English major or even minor, said it all. We don't care about you as much as we care about us. Have a Merry Christmas and here is a list of physicians who are accepting new patients.

My recently-let-go doctor heads to Arizona for a little R and R this week, to lick his wounds, rethink his life and decide what really is important. Here's what's important: find a good lawyer for wrongful termination, then an office and a few signs to hang. We'll throw a party for your opening and it will be grand, filled with grateful patients.

Photo attribution: somewhatfrank