There are a few names in the wellness industry that shine.
Mehmet Oz, Andrew Weil and Mark Hyman to name a few. They are at the very pinnacle
of fame, fortune and freedom, a position not available to everyone who chooses
to become a doctor.
Most physicians will work for a clinic or hospital, a few
will give a go at their own practice, but will actually be working for the
insurance companies and the government. Because the very definition of employer,
is one who pays for services rendered.
If we were to diagnose our system of care, and look for the
cause of its fundamental malfunction, and inevitable collapse, we would
eventually end up shining our flashlight at the cracked, unstable, and
convoluted infrastructure of reimbursement. For over 50 years, payment for
health care services has come from third-parties, and not the patient herself.
How did this come to be in a country where every other
system is built on the philosophy of free enterprise, entrepreneurship, and
capitalism?
It was because of high demand for workers during the Second
World War, that our government placed wage restrictions on businesses, so as to
create a fair playing field. Forcing the more creative employers to offer other
benefits, like health insurance, as an added value to attract new employees. Until
that spark of brilliance erupted in the brain of some unsung entrepreneur, one’s
health care had nothing to do with their job.
It was out of that seemingly innocuous act, and at the time
perhaps even justified, that began the deterioration of both our system of care
and the health of this nation.
And with the creation of Medicare in 1965, an entire segment
of the population was offered unlimited, free access to the very limited and
expensive system of care.
I am not arguing right
or wrong; but works or not. And not it is.
Today if a specialist accepts a Medicare patient, it’s more
out of a sense of duty and pity, than the promise of a $7 dollar check that this
government agency will begrudgingly send via its more efficient sister-agency,
the post office. And should the doctor forget to dot the (i) or cross the (t)
that same militant bureaucracy will rain upon the head of this most unfortunate
practitioner like an Armageddon firestorm of death.
Most doctors will feel like they have no choice and accept
this backward system as their only option. A few will not. And those are the
ones that I am interested in speaking with. Because perhaps, they don’t have
to.
In just 24 months we can help lay the groundwork for a
practice that is mostly independent of third-party payers, because we position
the doctor as an expert in their particular field in front of thousands,
perhaps millions of their best potential clients. Those people on the other
side of the stethoscope who also don’t like the current system of care and can
afford to opt-out.
By testing and exploring the message that best resonates with
the public we are able to help establish the doctor as top in their field. And
as word spreads and momentum builds, serendipitous opportunities begin to unveil
themselves, ones that would never be seen from that third-party medieval dungeon
of bureaucracy.
Not everyone can be a Dr. Oz, ordained by Oprah, and placed
at the altar as the ultimate expert on all things health. And you don’t need to
be. All you need to do, is allocate some time and resources, and begin
exploring opportunities outside of a system that doesn’t appreciate your talent,
commitment, hard work, and individuality; as member of mankind’s most noble, hard-earned,
and inspiring profession.
Alex Lubarsky is the CEO of Health Media Group, Inc., founder of the NAVEL expo and wellness marketing expert, who for over 10 years promoted top wellness oriented physicians, authors and celebrity activists to the public. His events have attracted 10's of thousands of health-minded, proactive consumers. His mission is to help create an affordable, wellness-focused and consumer- driven system of health care, where the doctor is revered and the patient healed.
