05/06/2014    Cedric Cooper, DPM

Government and the Healthcare System (Tip Sullivan, DPM)

This is not a political issue. If we continue to
try to place the issue of healthcare delivery in a
political basket we as health care providers will
continue to be controlled by the big money
handlers such as the insurance industry. Placing
political blame will continue to allow us to
blindly fall into the traps set up by both
political parties. Yes, in Tennessee many small
hospitals are closing or becoming urgent care
centers so that they will not be forced to provide
healthcare to uninsured patients and they are
closing because of the loss of federal Medicaid,
Medicare, and uninsured money. However, doesn’t
this force those same patients to come to your
office for that same care. This will be a boom
for the small individual practitioner.

Why? Our overhead is small and we do or don’t have
to continue to fall into the trap of borrowing to
purchase these ridiculous " new technologies" that
does nothing for our ability to provide
healthcare. If you continue to borrow to support
these ridiculously habits of employing a largely
staffed inefficient office and if you continue to
borrow to buy these overpriced "new technologies"
that do not differ from what they were in the
past and if you continue to bolster a large ego
that says that I don’t have to be hands on with my
patients just pay somebody then you will perish.

However, if you become efficient, lean, and drop
your ego and work hard for a change then you will
flourish as a group and as an individual
practitioner. The days of waste are over pay your
taxes, treat your patients, and drop the ego and
everything will be fine. An older podiatrist (Dr.
Lawrence Burns) told me a long time ago. "Just try
your best to do what is right and everything will
work out all else is just none sense." As a
podiatrist I have three offices. I or my children
provide the excellent appearing lawn care at all
of these offices. I am janitorial, maintenance
(within my God given abilities), and I open my own
office. Every damn day. Get your act together -
the days of arrogant king are over. However, the
days of increasing profits have just began.

Cedric Cooper, DPM. Humboldt, TN,
y2kcedric@hotmail.com

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