More on the Shortage of Doctors in America
Video provided from a Fox News interview
I bring up the topic of a shortage of primary care doctors again on my blog because there is a solution available to those general practitioners that are overworked, and a solution for those patients that are sick of waiting in a crowded waiting room.
A large amount of health care spending is done for low back pain an other types of neuromusculoskeletal complaints and conditions. In a general practitioner’s office, these patients usually either receive medication to dampen the pain or to relax spasming muscles, or they get routed to an orthopedic surgeon for a surgical consult.
I have a better solution. Medical groups should hire and install doctors of chiropractic in their practices, or gather a network of chiropractors to refer. Chiropractors are primary care physicians with some reservation about drugs and surgery. Chiropractors are autonomous and have the licensing to diagnose and differentially diagnose medical conditions, and work well within the medical system, as we have seen in the Veteran’s Administration’s use of chiropractors in their hospitals and clinics.
Using chiropractors can greatly reduce the burden of patient demands for musculoskeletal complaints, and this can leave other, organic conditions for medical management. Rerouting back, neck, and headache pain patients away from a general practitioner’s care will allow more focus on care for diabetes, liver conditions, heart conditions, and other conditions that are better and more efficiently managed by medical care.
Todd Lloyd, DC
Chiropractor in Sonoma
Thanks to “Health Crae Reform” , this trend will likely continue.