Don Addis
On November 12, 1998, the St. Petersburg Times reported that MedPartners would be getting out of the business of running private medical practices. The concept of MedPartners was to run the business end of a medical practice while doctors focused on patient care. However, the Times reports, “Increasing numbers of those doctors became disenchanted--while they wanted someone to handle their administrative burdens, many felt they were losing control over everything from what computers they could use to which health plans they would deal with.” MedPartners and its investors began losing money, prompting them to reconsider their business plan.
Since Addis depicts the doctor as unable to reach the patient because the businessman is in the way, he suggests that “Medicine as Business” is a hindrance to a positive doctor-patient relationship.