Mon. Apr 29th, 2024

The above image was sent to me by a physician (Gregory Miller, MD) who for some reason has followed my journey since the Placebo Journal days. I was living in Maine and working in the system when I responded with my answers and looking back at it now, I think they are still pretty good.

  • First, do no harm…to yourself.
  • Be a role model for your kids, not just your patients.
  • Being with your family doesn’t mean being in the same room or proximity.
  • Keep your ego in check. You can’t be there for every patient and can’t know all there is to know.
  • Know what your family is doing at all times.
  • The path of least resistance for most doctors is practicing more medicine. Take the path of least resistance and be with your family.

I really tried all this while being employed but things were actually EASIER back then when you worked in the system. Not that they were good but there are more administrative hurdles today than back in 2003. Do you know what would help doctors accomplish my recommendations today?

DIRECT PRIMARY CARE

In DPC, you can take care of yourself, be a role model for your kids, have time to do things with your family, and do well by your patients.

I just thought I would give you an update after 21 years.

181730cookie-checkLessons From Twenty-One Years Ago
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By Douglas Farrago, MD

Douglas Farrago MD is board certified in the specialty of Family Practice. He is the inventor of a product called the Knee Saver which is currently in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Knee Saver and its knock-offs are worn by many major league baseball catchers. He is also the inventor of the CryoHelmet used by athletes for head injuries as well as migraine sufferers. From 2001 – 2011, Dr. Farrago was the editor and creator of the Placebo Journal which ran for 10 full years. Described as the Mad Magazine for doctors, he and the Placebo Journal were featured in the Washington Post, US News and World Report, the AP, and the NY Times. Douglas Farrago, MD received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia in 1987, his Masters of Education degree in the area of Exercise Science from the University of Houston in 1990, and his Medical Degree from the University of Texas at Houston in 1994. His residency training occurred way up north at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine. In his final year, he was elected Chief Resident by his peers. Dr. Farrago has practiced family medicine for twenty-three years, first in Auburn, Maine and now in Forest, Virginia. He founded Forest Direct Primary Care in 2014, which quickly filled in 18 months. Dr. Farrago still blogs every day on his website Authenticmedicine.com and lectures worldwide about the present crisis in our healthcare system and the effect it has on the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Farrago’s has written three books on direct primary care: The Official Guide to Starting Your Own Direct Primary Care Practice, The Direct Primary Care Doctor’s Daily Motivational Journal and Slowing the Churn in Direct Primary Care (While Also Keeping Your Sanity) are all best sellers in this genre. He is a leading expert in direct primary care model and lectures medical students, residents, and doctors on how to start their own DPC practice. He retired from clinical medicine in October, 2020.

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