|
MUSINGS
ON FHTs
In your article "Solo
practice becoming less profitable" (April 2008,
Vol 5 No 4) Drs Michael Rachlis and William Hogg seem
totally unaware that solo practice and Family Health
Teams (FHTs) are not mutually exclusive. I'm a solo
practitioner and a member of an FHT. I get paid through
the Family Health Network (FHN) system, so I receive
the substantial increases in income that primary care
reform has brought to FPs. Dr Rachlis says: "I think
if FPs are working with other professionals... that
it will be a better quality of care. That is what's
really driving the move away from solo practice in this
country." I don't know where he gets his info from but
clearly he's not a practising doctor. FHTs, FHNs and
Family Health Organizations do not depend on physically
sharing an office. In our FHT, we have two group practices
of five or six docs each, five solo docs and four who
share only a central waiting room space.
The problem with group practice
is that your expenses are lower only if you maintain
the number of docs. If one leaves or retires, the remaining
docs are on the hook for a greater share of expenses
like rent.
But the real benefit of a solo
practice is the personal care and service. In a large
group practice each individual patient is just an anonymous
number. In my little solo practice we know everyone
by name, face and medical issues. We look after them
like our family.
I am concerned about new FPs who
are shown only one type of practice during their training.
May I suggest you run another article on this issue
from the opposite point of view regarding solo practice?
Dr Barbara Watts,
Caledon, ON
STEP
UP TO THE PLATE
As a patient, I support the opportunity for physicians
to step up to the plate and demonstrate their level
of professionalism ("Ontario
physicians must report malpractice, crimes and addiction,"
April 2008, Vol 5 No 4).
As a nurse, I understand the amount
of trust patients have in their physicians. I believe
these action guidelines will validate and build on that
trust.
Judy Palesh, Amherstburg,
ON
CORRECTION
The article "Family
doctor outlook mostly grim: survey" (April 2008,
Vol 5 No 4) stated that "the number of physicians
nationwide with closed or partly closed practices
has dropped from 60% in 2004 to 40% in 2007." The
2004 number corresponds to FPs only, while the 2007
number is for all physicians. The number of FPs
with closed or partially closed practices in 2007
was 58%. |
|
