Physician Practice Environment

Other features of the medical practice landscape thwart the goal of real healing. Physicians are under intense scrutiny by peer review, bed utilization review, and practice guideline compliance monitors. Patients have increased access to medical information and misinformation from the internet. Physician incomes have been falling for several years. The collective message physicians hear is: “Non-physicians do not trust you, do not believe that you know as much as you should and that you are not worth what you are paid.” The collective message is not very positive. It is difficult for a physician to bring healing to the bedside when they experience this level of devaluation.

Is this message true?