Back Then: When Medicine Felt Personal
Powerful statement, isn’t it?
I’d like to think so.
It’s hard to imagine for younger generations like Millennials, Gen Z, and even Alpha (Beta too, lol) that the healthcare system was ever anything different than what they see today. But if you talk to the Baby Boomer generation, they’ll tell you about a time when their doctor wasn’t just a provider — they were family. They cared for your mother, father, sister, brother, children — the whole household.
Back then, your doctor knew your body inside and out. You could call them late at night and they’d often know exactly what was going on. They’d give advice or come by your home — yes, house calls — to make sure you got the care you needed. That level of trust, familiarity, and presence is something that feels almost foreign today. The doctor used to be the anchor in a community. Now, sadly, we’ve been turned into villains.
But I digress — that’s a post for another day.
When the System Shifted
So, what happened?
When did we shift from an admirable doctor-patient relationship to a system where insurance companies, pharmaceutical giants, and government agencies (hi, CMS) dictate how we practice medicine and how patients receive care?
Honestly, I ask myself this question every day.
I’ve tried — really tried — to bring back that old-school charm, where a patient feels seen, heard, and holistically cared for. Where the doctor actually has the space and autonomy to do what’s best, not just what fits into a 15-minute slot or what a billing code allows.
But when I worked in private and corporate healthcare, I was scolded — even written up — for spending “too much” time with patients. For listening to a patient’s full-page list of concerns. For caring.
Yes, caring has become a crime in modern medicine.
When Did Listening Become a Liability?
When did caring become “inefficient”?
And most importantly, why did it change?
The answer, in one word: money.
The Business of Healing
The shift happened when healthcare became a business first, and a healing practice second. Decisions about patient care are now made in boardrooms by executives and administrators — most of whom have never stepped foot into a clinical exam room. They optimize for “efficiency,” “productivity,” and “profit margins.” Not people.
The Real Cost of a Broken System
And now we’re seeing the results:
- A 2024 survey by the Physicians Foundation showed that 60% of doctors report feeling burned out (The Physicians Foundation, 2024).
- Nearly 3 in 10 physicians would like to retire within the next year (The Physicians Foundation, 2024).
- Staggering numbers of Americans are saddled with medical debt and skyrocketing costs: 14 million people (6% of adults) in the U.S. owe over $1,000 in medical debt, and about 3 million people (1%) owe more than $10,000 (KFF, 2024).
This has created a system where nobody wins — not the patient, and not the physician.
It’s heartbreaking for someone like me, who eats, breathes, and sleeps medicine.
Because I didn’t become a doctor to serve algorithms or appease insurance metrics. I became a doctor to heal people.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Honestly, I don’t have all the answers. But I do believe that we are standing at the edge of a shift. As technology evolves — especially with AI — I hope we start to remove the layers of red tape and reclaim the sacred space between doctor and patient. Maybe we can make medicine feel human again.
More to come on that.
Thank You
Thank you for taking a moment to walk through this truth with me — your time and presence mean everything.
Sources
- The Physicians Foundation. (2024). “2024 Survey of America’s Physicians.” https://physiciansfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024-Survey-of-Americas-Current-and-Future-Physicians.pdf
- Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), Rakshit, S., Rae, M., et al. (2024). “The Burden of Medical Debt in the United States.” https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/the-burden-of-medical-debt-in-the-united-states/
