Diane W. Shannon, M.D., MPH, is now solely a freelance writer. That’s because primary care burned her out of practicing medicine entirely. She’s not burnt out on the industry, though, instead focusing on what she calls “performance improvement in health care.”
Dr. Shannon is exactly the doctor we refer to when critics mention that direct care might exacerbate a doctor shortage. To reiterate, every doctor in America doesn’t get to cut the red tape and instantaneously practice insurance-free medicine. No, direct care is about doctors cooperating collectively and acting independently to circumvent the administrative forces that swallow doc’s time, stress them out, and prohibit them from forming strong relationships with patients.