Medical Economics Features DPC Doc: Rebekah Bernard, MD

Medical Economics featured Rebekah Bernard, MD of Gulf Coast Primary Care to discuss how self-ownership can empower physician leadership. Eight years ago, she was suddenly and unceremoniously fired from her job for threatening to quit when her employer let the staff’s health insurance lapse. While getting fired was shocking, hurtful, and felt incredibly unfair, it turned out to be the best thing that ever could have happened to her.

In the article, Dr. Bernard points out that every time physicians suppress the feelings of righteous indignation, they feel more powerless, which can either build up and explode into inappropriate behavior (the ‘disruptive’ physician) or turn into learned helplessness (in which they completely give up). She finds the latter to be far more common today.

She felt that she was probably approaching that sense of hopelessness herself when she was shaken out of “my ennui” by being fired. That’s when she decided to make the change to direct primary care. Fortunately, because the direct care model is so simple and low cost to start, she was able to open her practice just three weeks after she was fired. Within a few months, she had enough patients to cover her overhead, and in a year, the practice was full. She was looking for a partner to keep up with the demand of new patients. Now, eight years later, she has a full practice with a generous income and more importantly she can now focus on advocating for her patients with no fear of any repercussions from an employer.

In the article, Dr. Bernard discusses the positive outcomes of switching to DPC. She speaks about how self-ownership allows physicians to set priorities, become more courageous, and become a physician leader.

The world needs physician leadership now more than ever. Yes, it’s hard, can be scary, and sometimes it feels futile. But I do believe that physicians can make a difference to change healthcare for the better, especially when we work together. As Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Read the article for even more insightful details.