Doctors—like me—have reaped the rewards of AF misthink. We are paid well to do and redo AF ablation. The financial reward for helping people help themselves pales in comparison. Yet I urge you not to blame overtreatment on fee for service. The main reasons doctors overtreat are do-something bias and the disease model of care. First, doing things is what we are taught, and it is what society expects. We might give cursory mention to lifestyle but then we rush to drugs and procedures. Second, the disease model of care tricks us into putting problems—like AF—into silos (cardiac, renal, pulmonary, etc), which we treat in isolation. So ingrained is the silo model that it has been daring to use the word holistic. As if things are not connected in the body.
A primary care physician by training, my passion is researching and writing about maintaining patient-directed choice in medical care, supporting independent physicians, promoting free-market healthcare solutions and seeking sustainable fiscal policy in healthcare.
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If author is not careful, he will be accused of being “holistic” in his approach. Seriously, I applaud Dr. Mandrola for writing this. The functional medicine community has been preaching the “look for the common denominator and correct it” approach for years, while mainstream medicine fixed or ameliorated symptoms. Maybe the two disciplines are finally merging, while coming from opposite directions, yet finding common ground for the patient’s best interest.
Here is a very meaningful quote from the article:
“Doctors—like me—have reaped the rewards of AF misthink. We are paid well to do and redo AF ablation. The financial reward for helping people help themselves pales in comparison. Yet I urge you not to blame overtreatment on fee for service. The main reasons doctors overtreat are do-something bias and the disease model of care. First, doing things is what we are taught, and it is what society expects. We might give cursory mention to lifestyle but then we rush to drugs and procedures. Second, the disease model of care tricks us into putting problems—like AF—into silos (cardiac, renal, pulmonary, etc), which we treat in isolation. So ingrained is the silo model that it has been daring to use the word holistic. As if things are not connected in the body.”
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Doctors—like me—have reaped the rewards of AF misthink. We are paid well to do and redo AF ablation. The financial reward for helping people help themselves pales in comparison. Yet I urge you not to blame overtreatment on fee for service. The main reasons doctors overtreat are do-something bias and the disease model of care. First, doing things is what we are taught, and it is what society expects. We might give cursory mention to lifestyle but then we rush to drugs and procedures. Second, the disease model of care tricks us into putting problems—like AF—into silos (cardiac, renal, pulmonary, etc), which we treat in isolation. So ingrained is the silo model that it has been daring to use the word holistic. As if things are not connected in the body.
Forum for Healthcare Freedom 
Reblogged this on MyDoc Personal Physician Services – A Direct Primary Care Practice: Robert Nelson, MD.
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If author is not careful, he will be accused of being “holistic” in his approach. Seriously, I applaud Dr. Mandrola for writing this. The functional medicine community has been preaching the “look for the common denominator and correct it” approach for years, while mainstream medicine fixed or ameliorated symptoms. Maybe the two disciplines are finally merging, while coming from opposite directions, yet finding common ground for the patient’s best interest.
LikeLike
Here is a very meaningful quote from the article:
“Doctors—like me—have reaped the rewards of AF misthink. We are paid well to do and redo AF ablation. The financial reward for helping people help themselves pales in comparison. Yet I urge you not to blame overtreatment on fee for service. The main reasons doctors overtreat are do-something bias and the disease model of care. First, doing things is what we are taught, and it is what society expects. We might give cursory mention to lifestyle but then we rush to drugs and procedures. Second, the disease model of care tricks us into putting problems—like AF—into silos (cardiac, renal, pulmonary, etc), which we treat in isolation. So ingrained is the silo model that it has been daring to use the word holistic. As if things are not connected in the body.”
LikeLike